Nearly half of 28 models of primary school shoes sold in Hong Kong contain harmful substances, with carcinogens exceeding international safety limits found in four, tests by the consumer watchdog have revealed.
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The Consumer Council on Thursday also published international test results showing that three out of 22 child car seats models sold locally had “weaker crash protection”, and trace amounts of harmful substances were found in eight.
For the shoe results, published ahead of the start of the new school year, the council tested the 28 models for chemical safety and physical performance. The shoes cost from HK$198 to HK$599.
It found “various harmful substances” in 13 of them, including the carcinogen chromium VI, aromatic amines, formaldehyde and the reproductive toxicant phthalates.
Chromium VI is typically formed during leather tanning and can cause lung cancer.
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The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified it as a Group 1 “carcinogenic to humans” agent.