By Kim Tae-gyu
Late last month, an elementary school student bought a tube-like product, which is used to generate bubbles with a straw, at a stationer in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province.
After playing bubble games for a few hours, the student began to suffer from a headache and nausea. His mother reported the case to the government, which led to examinations by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE).
The MKE found that the product imported from China contains a substantial amount of ethyl acetate, which is banned for children’s products here because of its detrimental effects on people's health.
``We learned all four similar Chinese bubble products, imported from the same local corporation, contain ethyl acetate ranging from 7.1 percent to 25.1 percent,’’ MKE official Lee Hyun-ja said.
``A Busan-based domestic outfit also rolled out an indigenous brand, which held 17 percent of ethyl acetate. To our surprise, the local brand advertised it as eco-friendly.’’
The MKE asked local governments in charge to take proper measures including scrapping the products at issue as well as passing the case to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.
Of note is the two firms in question were caught midway through last year using ethyl acetate for bubble products. They stopped marketing them for a while but resumed their operations soon.
Those who take advantage of ethyl acetate for merchandise used by minors are subject to a maximum of three years in jail and 20 million won in fines under the law being monitored by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.
Ethyl acetate is an organic compound, which is widely employed thanks to its several advantages such as reasonable cost, low toxicity and agreeable odor ― it is found in young wines.
The colorless liquid is fine when used in small quantities but can be dangerous when it is used in large amounts.
``When people are exposed to it for a long time, ethyl acetate tends to generate nausea and headaches as well as negatively affecting the lungs, liver and heart. In extreme cases, it might result in hallucinations,’’ Lee said.
``We will put forth our efforts to prevent the recurrence of similar problems. For one, we required stationery stores not to sell similar products down the road.’’
However, criticism has been raised because the police came up with identical promises in 2009 when the two companies were brought to light. The Busan-based firm is known to have faced no criminal charges.
``In my view, the government should come under fire because it carried out sloppy work. Otherwise, how can the same firms commit the same wrongdoings in just a year,’’ said a citizen in Seoul, who asked not to be named.
``This time around, the government should take stern measures so that the culprits cannot commit the same crimes again.’’