According to a China Daily report on March 16, the General Administration of Customs of China held a press briefing on the “March 15” International Consumer Rights Day to publicly introduce the quality inspection status of China’s import and export products. Among them, some imported baby and child consumer goods were found to have health and safety hazards during random inspections by the customs, and the unqualified rate was as high as 30.8%.
Part of China’s imported baby products are unqualified
According to data released by the General Administration of Customs of China, in 2020, Chinese customs staff randomly inspected 817 batches of imported baby and child consumer goods, of which 252 batches were not up to standard, and the overall disqualification rate was 30.8%. The quality problems of these Chinese imported products are mainly concentrated in the cords, color fastness, and formaldehyde content of baby and children’s clothing.
Lin Jiantian, director of the Department of Commodity Inspection of China, said that once the ropes and straps of baby clothes are not up to standard, it is easy to cause mechanical damage such as tripping, dragging, and even increasing the risk of suffocation around the neck. If the color fastness of clothing to wet rubbing is not up to standard, it may cause the color to fall off, contaminate other clothing, or stain the child’s skin, endangering their health.
As for formaldehyde, this is a volatile organic substance harmful to the human body, and it is also a globally recognized carcinogen. Scientific research shows that once the concentration of formaldehyde in the air is higher than 0.6 milligrams per cubic meter, people will feel headaches and discomfort in the eyes and pharynx. If newborn babies are exposed to low-concentration formaldehyde for a long time, their physique will become significantly worse, and they may even suffer from chronic respiratory diseases.
Japanese brand Betta’s pacifier volatile substances exceed the standard
In the past year, 30% of imported baby and child products inspected by China Customs were unqualified. Among them, the unqualified rate of imported infant and child consumer goods inspected by Shanghai Customs was as high as 47.7%, and the unqualified rate of imported stationery was the highest, exceeding 91%.
According to reports, in 2020, Shanghai Customs found that bottles and pacifiers produced by the well-known Japanese brand Betta were unqualified and destroyed. Because when these imported milk bottle pacifiers passed through customs, the inspectors found that the volatile compounds contained in the product were obviously exceeding the standard.
According to reports, baby pacifiers are silicone products. If the materials are selected or made improperly, it is easy to cause excessive volatile substances to remain. During the use of the pacifier, these harmful substances are difficult to find. Long-term exposure to children can cause dizziness, fatigue, numbness of hands and feet and even confusion, which is extremely harmful to the child’s health.
In this regard, Shanghai Customs stated that its staff will increase inspection efforts, make precise arrangements and promote the reform of the inspection business of import and export products.
In addition, Guangzhou Customs also seized many unqualified imported baby food supplements last year. From January to February this year, Guangzhou Customs also processed 12 batches of unqualified imported food, including snacks such as candies and biscuits. The Chinese staff strictly abide by the food defense line, return or destroy these products in accordance with the law, and never allow them to flow into the Chinese market.
Chinese customs officers strictly guard the country
In response to the hidden safety hazards of China’s imported baby and child products, Lin Jiantian reminded consumers that when purchasing related products, they should “see, smell, touch, and touch” carefully: check the product label carefully, and smell the product if it has a pungent odor. Touch each part of the product to troubleshoot quality problems.
In order to protect the health of the Chinese people and allow consumers to shop with peace of mind, the General Administration of Customs of China has established 46 monitoring points for the quality and safety of imported and exported commodities nationwide to resolutely safeguard national security. Lin Jiantian said that China Customs will continue to strengthen its supervisory capabilities and continuously improve the pertinence and effectiveness of risk monitoring.
Source: Tencent News