Deficiencies in the chemical safety of online purchases – nearly one in five products failed to meet the requirements
The Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes) tested consumer products purchased from online shops as part of a supervisory enforcement project coordinated by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). Safety deficiencies were particularly common in products ordered from outside the EU.
The tested products were ordered from online shops and marketplaces familiar to Finnish consumers such as Temu, Shein and AliExpress. Online marketplaces operating in the EU and located outside the EU as well as online shops located in the Nordic countries were included.
A total of 99 different consumer products, such as toys, backpacks, exercise balls, jewellery and cosmetics, were ordered as part of the enforcement project. Not all products were tested in the laboratory as some of them were inspected using other control methods. For example, the inspections on the cosmetic products were carried out on the basis of the ingredients listed on the packaging.
A total of 85 products were tested and they were examined in the laboratory to determine whether they contain prohibited substances above the maximum concentration limits specified in the EU chemicals legislation. Non-compliant products were found especially among the purchases made on online marketplaces. A total of 12 of the products ordered from online marketplaces and three of the products purchased from other online shops failed to comply with the EU legislation.
The deficiencies mostly concerned excessive concentrations of phthalate and chlorinated paraffins in soft plastic products such as makeup bags, backpacks, exercise balls and skipping ropes. High concentrations of lead and cadmium were found in the jewellery. The use of these substances in products has been restricted because they cause health and environmental risks.
– Some of the products purchased from online marketplaces had particularly high concentrations. For example, in an exercise ball, the phthalate concentration was 500 times higher than the limit value, and in some of the jewellery, cadmium content was as much as 8,800 times higher,” says Senior Officer Petteri Talasniemi from Tukes.
The sellers of the products sold on online marketplaces were located in China, and few of them responded to the contact requests by Tukes. When the online marketplace platforms were notified of the test results, the products were removed from sale.
For information on the products withdrawn from the market, visit the dangerous products website (in Finnish).
Examples of dangerous products:
Makeup bags: https://vaarallisettuotteet.fi/ilmoitukset/ilmoitus/1db77c9e-d0e3-4dfe-a15f-5f4e8acb3c15 and https://vaarallisettuotteet.fi/ilmoitukset/ilmoitus/e37fbf30-1249-435d-a882-1d12739eb51d (in Finnish)
Jewellery: https://vaarallisettuotteet.fi/ilmoitukset/ilmoitus/12f751af-ade6-4fb5-8557-59f3b8b117f1 and https://vaarallisettuotteet.fi/ilmoitukset/ilmoitus/dc11e4c4-7829-4483-a138-549f3c654923 (in Finnish)
Exercise ball: https://vaarallisettuotteet.fi/ilmoitukset/ilmoitus/ecd50643-1687-4b6e-a570-d50480ddd8aa (in Finnish)
Sweat belt: https://vaarallisettuotteet.fi/ilmoitukset/ilmoitus/600df0aa-e46e-4677-89b7-02d924b39930 (in Finnish)
Online marketplaces are a enforcement challenge and increase the need for better regulation
Tukes supervises compliance with the prohibitions and restrictions on placing chemicals on the market in Finland. Tukes uses spot checks to supervise the products and these checks only cover a small proportion of the products. Tukes does not pre-approve products or carry out inspections before the products are placed on the market.
In traditional commerce, the products have an EU-based importer, manufacturer or seller responsible for ensuring that the products comply with all requirements. Often when products are ordered directly from an online marketplace seller outside the EU, there are no parties responsible for them in the EU. This makes supervision more difficult because there are no EU-based actors responsible for the products and the authorities have only limited chances to act when problems arise.
Products sold on online marketplaces cannot be enforced effectively with the traditional market surveillance instruments. Tukes emphasises that the problem cannot be solved by supervision alone as solutions must also be sought at EU level through legislative changes.
– There must always be a responsible actor in the EU ensuring that the products are safe and comply with all requirements already before they are sold to consumers, Talasniemi explains.
Tukes urges consumers to pay attention to product safety, especially when ordering products from outside the EU. This is because in such purchases, the buyer is responsible for the safety of the products.
Inquiries:
Petteri Talasniemi, Senior Officer, tel. +358 295 052 104
email is in the form [email protected]
For more information on chemicals and safe online shopping, visit Tukes website:
https://tukes.fi/en/home-and-leisure-time/online-shopping https://tukes.fi/en/at-your-own-risk
https://tukes.fi/koti-ja-vapaa-aika/kodin-kemikaalit/kysy-tuotteiden-kemikaaleista (in Finnish)
https://tukes.fi/hormonitoimintaa-hairitsevat-kemikaalit (in Finnish)
