BEIJING (ASIA NEWS NETWORK/ CHINA DAILY) - Nearly 10 per cent of children's products sold in Chinese markets contain excessive lead, a harmful heavy metal, posing a threat to their health, Greenpeace said after a recent investigation.
In November, Greenpeace China bought 500 random children's products at shopping malls, supermarkets and wholesale markets in five cities - Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan and Hong Kong. It found that 10 per cent failed to meet the national standard of lead content, and more than 30 per cent contained five other hazardous heavy metals.
These substances tested for - lead, antimony, arsenic, cadmium, chromium and mercury - can seriously damage the nervous system, and can enter the body through breathing, the skin or mucous membranes and contaminated food.
'For example, lead, which is highly toxic and cumulative, will trigger obstacles for a child's mental and physical development and learning ability,' said Mr Wu Yixiu, a toxins prevention campaigner at Greenpeace China.
In November, Greenpeace China bought 500 random children's products at shopping malls, supermarkets and wholesale markets in five cities - Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan and Hong Kong. It found that 10 per cent failed to meet the national standard of lead content, and more than 30 per cent contained five other hazardous heavy metals.
These substances tested for - lead, antimony, arsenic, cadmium, chromium and mercury - can seriously damage the nervous system, and can enter the body through breathing, the skin or mucous membranes and contaminated food.
'For example, lead, which is highly toxic and cumulative, will trigger obstacles for a child's mental and physical development and learning ability,' said Mr Wu Yixiu, a toxins prevention campaigner at Greenpeace China.
