{"id":62218,"date":"2025-11-04T21:13:56","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T20:13:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thegreenlist.nl\/?p=62218"},"modified":"2025-12-01T12:52:04","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T11:52:04","slug":"toxic-stuff-in-the-house-without-realising-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thegreenlist.nl\/en\/giftige-spullen-in-huis-zonder-dat-je-het-doorhebt\/","title":{"rendered":"Toxic stuff in the house without realising it?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A toy for your child. A USB charger. Earrings for a few euros. It seems like harmless stuff. But do you know where it comes from? The Consumers' Association recently tested products from SHEIN and TEMU, among others. What did it find out? Much of it is toxic or downright dangerous. And even if you don't buy there, you can still get it through Dutch webshops - you must have heard of dropshipping - or second-hand. What about that exactly? And what to do with that stuff?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Toxic stuff via China, dropshipping and the thrift store<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps when you think of unsafe products, you immediately think of shady websites in faraway countries. And that is true: SHEIN, TEMU, AliExpress and Wish make it very easy to buy everything from toys and electronics to jewellery and make-up for a few euros. Nice and cheap, but that low price comes from somewhere, often at the expense of safety and quality. These shops are outside the European Union and therefore do not have to follow our rules. While strict laws apply here in Europe (such as the REACH regulation) that determine which substances are and are not allowed in products, manufacturers in China, for instance, can simply go about their business there. \u2018But I don't buy from there\u2019, you might think. Only... what if your order comes via a Dutch dropshipper, who has your package delivered straight from China - without ever checking what's in it? Or if you score it second-hand? That way, stuff might still end up in your home that isn't actually safe at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toxic, dangerous, but nice and cheap<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is not scaremongering, but harsh reality. The Consumers' Association recently tested a range of products from SHEIN and TEMU, among others, and came to a shocking conclusion: 70% did not meet European safety standards. And 1 in 4 products was even found to be directly dangerous. These include toys with choking hazards, jewellery with carcinogenic or hormone-disrupting substances, and toys that make such a loud noise that they can cause hearing damage. They also found USB chargers that overheat and are therefore a fire hazard. And these are just the products they tested. International research shows that, for example, some nail polishes from these platforms contain 3.6 times too much dioxin (can cause liver poisoning) and shoes with plasticisers 229 times above the permitted amount. Surely you don't want that in your home, let alone on your child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What can you do to protect yourself?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Don't panic: you really don't have to throw everything straight into the bin (although, do you have a suspicious toy or jewellery set lying around? Then throwing it away might not be a bad idea after all). Here are a few simple things you can do:<\/p>\n\n\n\n