- An investigation by consumer group Which? revealed that balloons containing dangerously high levels of carcinogens are readily available to UK consumers via prominent online marketplaces.
- Platforms including Debenhams, eBay, The Range, AliExpress and Shein were found to be selling products with up to six times the legal limit of harmful chemicals like nitrosamines.
- Tests showed one AliExpress balloon contained over six times the permitted level of nitrosamines, while eBay and The Range balloons had more than four times the safe limit.
- Consumers reported adverse effects, with one family receiving a late Amazon notification that balloons they bought contained 25 times the legal limit of carcinogenic chemicals, and another experiencing numbness and dizziness from Shein balloons.
- Which? is urging the government to implement secondary regulations for the Product Regulation and Metrology Act, imposing a clear legal duty on online marketplaces to ensure the safety of products sold by third-party sellers.
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