The 1 yuan store should be one of everyone's favorite stores! Every time I pass by, I want to go inside and look for good things! Many products are even, Little Red Book Internet celebrities! Like dried strawberries and chocolate omelets!
Image source: yelp
While the Canadian dollar store sells something cheap, the quality problems it may have can't be ignored.
A recent new report shows a high percentage of toxic chemicals in these cheap products, reminding consumers to pay more attention when buying!
Image source: eenews
U.S. consumer advocacy groups reportedly bought 226 products from 7 major states, as well as several dollar stores in the Canadian province of Ontario.
Specific stores include Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, Dollar General, Five below, and 99 Cents Only Stores. Some of them are also common dollar stores in Canada.
Image source: eenews
Investigators then tested the products for toxic metals and chemicals in a total of 635 components, such as flame retardants, phthalates and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
The results showed that half of those items contained one or more worrisome chemicals!
Source: cnn
José Bravo, the health organisation's national coordinator, said: "Many families rely on dollar stores for affordable children's toys and daily necessities, so dollar stores must do more to ensure that all products are safe. ”
One of the more surprising products tested to show the presence of toxic chemicals is children's headphones.
Source: cnn
Five Below's "Soft Unicorn Headphones" for sale contain phthalate plasticizers, while the headphone foam of Disney Princess Kids Safe Wireless Headphones from the same retailer contains flame retardants.
Children's headphones sold by Dollar Tree and Family Dollar have also been found to contain lead and plasticizers. Earbuds sold at 99 Cents Only also contain lead and phthalate plasticizers.
Source: cnn
Jeff Gearhart, director of the Ecology Center's Health Items Laboratory, conducted the test, saying the presence of chemicals in the headphones raised concerns about fairness because high-end headphone makers like Apple and Samsung have corporate policies that strictly prohibit the use of worrisome chemicals.
Gearhart said: "This means that those who can afford more expensive headphones may not be exposed to the same chemicals." Obviously we have such a fragmented market. ”
Image source: news.cn
Many of the products tested were food-related products, such as non-stick pans and microwave popcorn, which the researchers suspect may have used polyfluoroalkyl compounds (PFAS). This is a compound that carries a risk of carcinogenesis.
Act II Butter Lovers microwave popcorn sold at the 99 Cents Only store shows a total fluoride content of 473 parts per million; non-stick pans sold by Family Dollar contain PFAS.
Image source: news.cn
Randy Guiler, vice president of investor relations at Dollar Tree, said, "Product safety is a key concern for us. Our products are tested to ensure compliance with all federal and state requirements. ”
Dollar Tree is also the only inexpensive retailer that has begun to set its own standards for chemicals in its products.
Image source: ins@dollartree
Last June, Dollar Tree updated their Chemical Policy, pledging to eliminate PFAS and phthalates used in store-branded food and beverage packaging by 2023.
Dollar Tree promises that by 2024, they will eliminate the use of PVC in children's products of all store brands.
Image source: ins@dollartree
Bravo said he supports the brands' concerns about the issue, but they need to expand the list of restrictive chemicals and apply it to more products.
He added: "We call on other dollar stores to cooperate with these efforts to further ensure that products are safe for children and families." ”
Image source: ins@dollartree
Low-cost items naturally have low prices, we should still pay attention to product quality, especially infant products and food, we still choose carefully while saving the cost of living!