33% of Imported Bottle Lids Contaminated

One out of three imported bottles are contaminated with a substance in their lids linked to endocrine disruptors and most of them are still in stores.

The Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) recently examined 61 imported food products contained in bottles and found the lids of 20 of them contain di-2-ethyl hexyl phthalate or DEHP, which can affect the reproductive organs, lungs, liver and kidneys.

Most of them were from China with 16 products found to contain the substance. All 14 local bottled products surveyed are free from the substance.

A total of 67,000 kilograms of products have been imported in ``harmful'' bottles but only seven percent, or 4,800 kilograms of them, have been removed from stores.

DEHP is widely used as a plasticiser in the manufacturing of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). But in many countries, including South Korea, Japan and United States, the use of the substance to make food containers and even toys is banned.