Next time you want to go shopping for your kids' bedroom furniture, make sure to do your research beforehand. Shanghai’s Industrial and Commercial Administrative Bureau has recently raided several stores and websites for substandard children’s furniture, and found half of it to be infringing safety regulations.
As Shanghai Daily reports, the watchdog reviewed 34 batches of children’s furniture on Tmall, yhd.com, jia.com and JD.com, as well as brick-and-mortar stores like Red Star Macalline and Homevalue. Violators saw their products removed from sale, and will be facing censure from the bureau.
Common infractions included sharp edges, hinges without warnings, and a lack of labels specifying the age group the product was intended for. With nearly 80% of items infringing regulations, online retailers are the least trustworthy. Brand names, however, have not been disclosed by the bureau.
Except, that is, for a set of “Gujia Furniture” being sold at the Nanfangzhongyi Furniture Store in Fengxian District, as it contained four times more formaldehyde than is deemed legal. “Luyifajia” teapoys sold by Shanghai Shimao Furniture Co Ltd. were flagged for the same infraction, though less severe.
Furthermore, according to the Shanghai Consumer Rights Protection Commission, solid wood furniture sellers at the China Huaxia Housing and Furnishing Exposition were punished for lying about the materials used in their products.
In addition to water and pollution concerns, parents now get to worry about toxic and unsafe furniture in their homes...hmm.
[Image via C2CN]
