Published on
Updated
Reading 2 min.
A Belgian consumer association had the idea of testing 25 children’s clothes purchased on the Shein platform. Many items contained at least one dangerous substance, including lead, she warns.
They are colorful, at the top of fashion and above all sold at very low prices. Clothes from the Chinese brand Shein have become in just a few years a good plan for many parents to dress their children. But be careful! According to Testachats, a Belgian consumer association, items which are not subject to the same textile rules as those in force in European countries contain substances that are problematic for your children.
“Five times too much lead and hundreds of times too many phthalates”
Testachats thus subjected 25 children’s clothing and shoes from the Shein online platform to a test aimed at detecting the presence of undesirable chemical substances. If they are not all harmful, ten of these articles contained at least one dangerous substance, the Belgian organization denounced on Wednesday.
For one of the articles in particular, a pair of shoes, the concentrations even drastically exceeded the levels authorized by European legislation: “We found five times too much lead and hundreds of times too many phthalates. announces Julie Frère, spokesperson for Testachats.
Among the other items tested (raincoats, t-shirts and swimsuits), Testachats also noted
“The latter are especially harmful to aquatic organisms but, over time, they decompose into another substance, which disrupts the endocrine system” specifies Testachats. For the spokesperson“it is completely irresponsible to offer such items on the European market”.
Short and long term consequences
The revelation caused a stir yesterday in the Belgian media and for good reason, it targets the health of our children. Because there is nothing harmless about these substances. According to a dermatologist cited by RTL.be, the risks behind purchasing in 2 clicks are more pronounced than they seem.
“There are lots of consequences, it can be irritation to the eyes, the respiratory tract, givingasthmaand especially endocrine disruptors which can cause cancer, fertility disorders and problems in developing children in the long term. Risks that can be avoided by avoiding succumbing to Shein temptation.
Rules still too lax in fast fashion
Although the majority of items respected the maximum quantities set by European legislation, the organization nevertheless judges that the rules are still too lax.
“We are calling for a strengthening of the European REACH regulation, in particular with regard to endocrine disruptors. Some can have health effects at very low concentrations, especially when it comes to children. We must also take into account the effect cocktail of all these substances and chronic exposure from different sources”, pleads Julie Frère.
“Our authorities must carry out more controls and we also ask platforms to take their obligations seriously. The safety of consumers is at stake”. Because Shein is not the only platform in the viewfinder. In 2020, several consumer organizations, including Testachats, had already denounced the fact that two thirds of products purchased on the online platforms AliExpress, Wish, LightInTheBox, eBay and Amazon did not meet European security rules.
Slide: Endocrine disruptors: how to avoid them on a daily basis?