China lists faulty imported children's products

Children's clothes and toys made by big international brands, including Giorgio Armani and Gucci, were found to fall short of quality standards during the first five months of the year and were prevented from entering the Chinese market, China's top quality authority said on Thursday.

Entry-exit inspection and quarantine authorities across China found that 130 batches of imported children and babies' clothes failed to meet standards from Jan 1 to May 15.

A total of 44,000 pieces of clothes, with a total value of 1.15 million yuan ($185,850), were detected, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said at a news conference ahead of the International Children's Day on June 1.

Brands of the substandard clothes included Gap, H&M, Zara, Giorgio Armani, Wonderchild, Mothercare, Hatley, Gucci and Okaidi, and they were made in countries including Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Spain, South Korea and Japan.

Problems with the clothes included excessive levels of formaldehyde, abnormal values of potential of hydrogen, or PH, lack of color fastness, excessive amount of impurities and inconsistence between fiber content and label, according to the administration.

Entry-exit inspection and quarantine authorities also found 15,800 substandard imported toys in 14 batches, with a value of 1.8 million yuan, during the same period.

The problems with the toys included excessive levels of soluble chromium, risky small parts and substandard packages, involving brands including Janod, Morphun, Henes, Kiddy and Mothercare, according to the administration.

The toys were made in different places such as South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand and Hong Kong.

All the substandard children's products have been properly disposed of or returned according to the law, and none entered the domestic market, the administration said.

According to inspections conducted between November and May, which covered 62,588 batches of imported children's products, 806 batches failed to meet standards, Wei Chuanzhong, deputy head of the administration, said in an earlier conference.

Excessive levels of formaldehyde is a major problem for substandard children's clothes and shoes, which might cause cancer, according to Qi Xiaoxia, a senior engineer at the China Leather & Footwear Industry Research Institute.

"Many parents believe that imported children's products are always safe, which is irrational," she said.

In many cases parents do not have the professional knowledge to identify substandard products, and a better solution is to seek brands with good after-sale services, she suggested.