"South Korea: Seoul authorities find Shein products contain high levels of toxic chemicals," 28 May 2024

...the government of South Korea's capital Seoul ... selected eight products sold by Shein, including children's shoes, leather bags and a belt and found several to contain high amounts of phthalates... One pair of shoes contained 428 times the permitted levels of phthalates ... and three bags had amounts as high as 153 times the limit...

Phthalates ... have been known for decades to cause hormone disruptions and have been linked to obesity, heart disease, some cancers and fertility problems.

Seoul city official ... told Agence France-Presse (AFP) they had requested the removal of these products from sale, and said that since the city began inspections in April, most platforms have complied with such requests.

A Shein spokesperson told AFP the company "takes product safety very seriously." The company requires its suppliers to comply with its controls and standards, and works with international third-party testing agencies to ensure compliance with product safety standards, it said. "Upon learning of any claim against our products, we immediately remove the product(s) from our site as a matter of caution whilst conducting our investigations," it said, adding it takes appropriate follow-up action "if non-compliance is verified."

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