Authorities in the northern province of Quang Ninh have destroyed 1,914 Baby Three dolls found to contain formaldehyde levels exceeding permissible limits, posing health risks, and of unclear origin.
The traffic police on March 16 seized the dolls from a vehicle controlled by driver Hoang Van Luong, 34, who failed to provide documents confirming their origin.
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Baby Three dolls containing high level of formaldehyde are destroyed in Quang Ninh Province. Photo courtesy of Quang Ninh Police |
The toys, which have become popular with both children and adults in recent months were worth an estimated VND107 million (US$4,113), according to the police.
Tests done at a lab showed the toys contained high levels of formaldehyde, which is a colorless and flammable gas which can cause irritation of the skin, eyes, nose, and throat. High levels cause some types of cancers.
It is used in the production of glue and construction materials.
The owner of the toys, Hoang Thanh Cong, 35, has been fined VND45 million for trading goods of unknown origin.
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A person holds a Baby Three toy. Photo courtesy of Facebook/hothiky.truong |
Baby Three is a toy line created by a Chinese company featuring round-faced characters with a variety of expressions.
Launched in May 2024, the dolls surged in popularity in Vietnam late last year due to their range of designs and random scents.
They are sold in blind boxes, which means buyers have to purchase them without knowing the specific design inside.
However, the Baby Three craze has recently waned, particularly after a March controversy involving a doll design resembling China’s illegal U-shaped line that claims vast swaths of the South China Sea, known in Vietnam as the East Sea.
