We live in a time where the progress of the internet has made it possible for us to shop more easily and carry out purchases digitally.
In 2023, Swedish e-commerce had a turnover of SEK 144 billion. The total turnover for the retail trade was measured during the same period at a breathtaking SEK 953.3 billion.
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Shopping on the internet? Then you may be exposed to toxic substances
The probability that you have bought everything from clothes, jewelery and toys to home furnishings and electronics online is therefore relatively high. But it also means that the risk that you have been exposed to dangerous substances has also increased.
The Swedish Chemicals Agency has examined 280 products from 81 websites. They have looked at toys, jewelry, electronics and soft plastic goods to see how much chemicals and toxins the products you are exposed to contain.
The result shows that many goods contain dangerous substances, especially if you shopped via a so-called dropshipping store, which is an online store but does not have its own warehouse and instead uses wholesale operations from which the goods are sent directly to you.
– Among the dropshipping stores, there seems to be a perception that you are only an intermediary and not responsible for the products. But they are responsible for what they sell, says Karin Rumarstrategic advisor at the Chemicals Inspectorate in one press release.
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Shopping for gadgets online can result in exposure to dangerous toxins. The picture is a genre picture. Photo: Lisa Hallgren/SvD/TT That’s what you should think about – when you shop online
The review carried out by the authority now shows that 77 percent of the goods sold via dropshipping stores contained prohibited substances. Goods from marketplaces had a corresponding figure of 42 percent and “traditional online stores” 34 percent.
– Hazardous substances that occurred were lead in electrical products, cadmium in jewelery and short-chain chlorinated paraffins and phthalates in soft plastic materials.
If you shop online, in other words, you should be careful with the goods you buy. Karin Rumar therefore has several pieces of advice for you as a consumer before the online purchase:
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The Chemicals Inspectorate has found toxic substances in several everyday products you probably bought on the internet. The picture is a genre picture. Photo: Vidar Ruud & Martina Holmberg/TT