Hong Kong watchdog finds bacteria in Japanese wet wipes product exceeds mainland Chinese safety limit by 500 times

Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has found that bacteria levels in a Japanese wet wipes product exceeded mainland Chinese safety limits by nearly 500 times.

Revealing its findings on Tuesday, the Consumer Council said it had tested 20 different types of wet wipes available on the market. Allergy-causing chemicals and preservatives were detected in two of the products, while another was discovered to be slightly more acidic than the mainland threshold.

“We really want to make sure that products do not have a high bacteria content. If they do, then they will cause a lot of problems like gastroenteritis, symptoms like swollen throat and fever, and even conjunctivitis,” said Nora Tam Fung-yee, chairwoman of the council’s research and testing committee.

Tests by the council found that bacteria in “Baby Wipes for Hands and Mouth”, manufactured in Japan by the country’s discount chain Daiso, had exceeded the upper limit of 200 colony-forming units per gram (cfu/g) set by the China Hygienic Standard for Disposable Sanitary Products by nearly 500 times, with a total bacterial count of 100,000 cfu/g.

Daiso told the watchdog that it had removed the products from shelves, without specifying when and where the measure was taken. The Post has contacted the company for comment.

According to Tam, a high bacteria count indicated possible contamination by microorganisms before the opening of the packaging. The council said potential causes included the material or production process being polluted, as well as issues with the length and method of storage after manufacturing.

The tests also found “family-sized wet tissues” from Hong Kong retail chain 759 Store contained 0.0015 per cent of free formaldehyde, an allergen. The chemical, usually released from added preservatives in personal care products, can irritate the eyes and skin, as well as cause inflammation after contact, according to the watchdog.