Chinese shoe manufacturer brands such as Miqi Piggies, BB.MIQI, Guirenniao, Spiderman, Jianqiao, etc. were found to contain phthalates, which can induce precocious puberty in children, according to the quality supervision and spot check of children’s shoes recently carried out by the Fujian Market Supervision Bureau of China.
30 batches of children’s shoe products from 30 manufacturers were spot-checked this time, and a total of 6 batches were found to be unqualified. The unqualified discovery rate was 20%, involving several brands. Among them, five batches of children’s shoes, including the “BB.MIQI” children’s casual shoes produced by Quanzhou BB.MIQI Children’s Products Co., Ltd., and the “Guirenniao” children’s travel shoes produced by Jinjiang Bigfoot Mouse Shoe Industry Co., Ltd., were all found to contain unqualified phthalate.
Phthalates are also known as plasticizers. Studies have shown that long-term exposure to phthalates of children’s skin can damage the peripheral nervous system, causing polyneuritis, hypoesthesia, numbness and other symptoms, which are harmful to the central nervous system. The system also has inhibitory and anesthetic effects, and can even interfere with the human endocrine system, leading to weakened male reproductive capacity, triggering precocious puberty in women, and may affect embryonic development through placental lipid and zinc metabolism, leading to slow embryo growth.
In addition, a batch of children’s travel shoes produced by Jinjiang Qicaimao Sports Goods Co., Ltd. was found to be unqualified for “outsole wear resistance”.
The health of a child’s feet is closely related to the shoes that he/she wears. 0-14 years old is the period when the bones of children’s feet grow and form. Shoes that are too big and not fit, and the wrong position of the shoes will cause hidden dangers to the health of children’s feet.
When parents buy shoes for their children, in addition to the conventional factors such as style and size, whether the internal quality indicators of the shoes are qualified should be paid more attention to.
The list of 6 batches of unqualified kids’ shoes is as follows.
| Company Name | Product name | Specification model | Trademark | Production Date /batch number | Spot check results | Unqualified items | Inspection institution |
| Jianqiao Shoes And Garments Co., Ltd., Nan’an City, Fujian Province | Boys’ sneakers | 225（1.5） | Jianqiao | 2020-12-20/S10070 | Unqualified | Phthalates | Fujian Fiber Inspection Center |
| Quanzhou Huanteng Children’s Products Co., Ltd. | Children’s football shoes | 215（2.0） | Spiderman | 2021-01-05/ZMZ5803548 | Unqualified | Phthalates | |
| Jinjiang LWXIONG Footwear Co., Ltd. | Children’s sports shoes | 205 | Miqi Piggies | 2020-11/Article No.: 2087 | Unqualified | Phthalates | |
| Quanzhou BB.MIQI Children’s Products Co., Ltd. | Children’s casual shoes | 205(2.0) | BB.MIQI | 2021-01-03/F301116276 | Unqualified | Phthalates | |
| Jinjiang Seven Color Cat Sporting Goods Co., Ltd. | Children’s travel shoes | 29 (1.5 type) | / | 2021-01/Article No.: BB09811314 | Unqualified | Outsole wear resistance | |
| Jinjiang Bigfoot Mouse Shoe Industry Co., Ltd. | Children’s travel shoes | 28（190）1.5 | Guirenniao | 2020-12-15/Article No.: GRN20119M | Unqualified | Phthalates |
Source: Consumer Report Group