About two out of every five children’s plastic watches sold in Taiwan contain an excessive amount of plasticizer that could pose a health risk, the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection’s (BSMI) latest investigation showed.
The bureau inspected 12 types of children’s watches sold at hypermarkets, toy stores and retail outlets across the country and found that five contained plasticizer at amounts exceeding the legal limits.
The bureau said product safety standards do not allow for plasticizer chemicals making up more than 0.1 percent of product mass, but the substandard plastic watches contained such chemicals in excess of this amount, with one Maxima brand watch containing 20.56 percent of plasticizers by mass.
Photo: CNA
The maker of the Maxima watch was also guilty of other product violations, including not having a proper product label indicating country of origin or the manufacturer’s name and address, and its product labels were not translated into Chinese.
A China-manufactured Casio watch also tested positive for plasticizer chemicals at 1.02 percent on its plastic watchstrap, despite costing NT$700.
BSMI deputy director-general Huang Lai-ho (黃來和) said watches that contain excessive amounts of plasticizers could be dangerous for children, who might put the plastic watchstraps in their mouth.
“Plasticizer chemicals could be absorbed through the skin when children wear the watch or enter the body if they put the watch in their mouths,” Huang said.
Plasticizers, or phthalate esters, contain environmental hormones that act as endocrine disruptors. The substances can potentially damage the liver and kidneys, cause men to develop female traits and increase the risk of breast cancer in women, the bureau said.
The bureau has ordered all substandard watches to be removed from store shelves and called for product improvements to be made, with fines of up to NT$200,000 for those who fail to comply.
It also urged parents to only buy watches that are properly labeled and teach children not to put plastic watches in their mouths.
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