Nearly three in ten pieces of cheap jewellery tested in Belgium contain dangerous levels of carcinogenic heavy metals such as cadmium and lead, according to customs inspectors.
The contaminated items, often imported from Chinese e-commerce sites like Shein, Temu, and Amazon, pose serious health risks, prompting Federal Environment Minister Jean-Luc Crucke (Les Engagés) to call for stricter inspections and higher fines.
During a demonstration at Brucargo in Machelen on Tuesday, inspectors showed how an XRF scanner detects heavy metals in seconds. "This necklace contains almost 10 per cent cadmium, that's a thousand times above the limit," said inspector Serge Smetz from the Environment Directorate-General.
"Cadmium accumulates in the body, is carcinogenic, and extremely harmful to health and the environment. Any jewellery found to contain toxic substances is destroyed."
Inspectors say that while major importers have largely eliminated unsafe suppliers, many dangerous items are still reaching consumers through small-scale online orders.
Crucke's new action plan aims to strengthen controls, increase the number of inspectors, and review penalties for offenders. He also urged consumers to be cautious of prices that seem too good to be true and to buy jewellery from within the EU, where products must comply with stricter safety standards.
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