Consumer watchdog finds cancer-causing agents in latex balloons

Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog said that after testing 35 samples of latex balloons sold on the market, over 90 percent contained cancer-causing agents, with only six of the tested samples complied with the EU toy safety requirements.

The Consumer Council bought 35 samples of balloon products, with prices ranging from HK$0.3 to HK$19.9 per balloon, and discovered that over 90 percent of them contained different concentration levels of nitrosamine, while 13 of them exceeded the EU-mandated limit by about 1.1 to 6.8 times.

The watchdog also discovered that all the samples contained nitrosable substances, with 19 samples containing nitrosatable substances ranging from 1.114 mg/kg to 6.502 mg/kg, exceeding the limit of the European standard and the relevant EU regulation.

A labeling system that is not compliant with Hong Kong regulations was also discovered, with only two models having safety regulations in English. Five models also have discrepancies between the English and Chinese wordings.

Meanwhile, five of the models did not include the company names of the importer and supplier along with their Hong Kong addresses, said the council, adding that all these issues have been forwarded to Hong Kong customs for follow-up.

The consumer watchdog advises that consumers use air pumps to inflate the balloons and wash their hands and faces before eating to avoid ingesting the carcinogen.