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Balloons that contain high levels of dangerous substances carcinogen An investigation has revealed that these are readily available to UK consumers through major online marketplaces.
including platform debenhams, EBAY, Limit, AliExpress And sheen Products were found to be sold in quantities six times the legal limit of these harmful chemicals.
This shocking discovery comes despite more than 100 brands being recalled or flagged in official product safety alerts over the past decade.
Which consumer group? 21 packs of latex balloons purchased from seven online retailers were revealed to contain concentrations of carcinogenic chemicals in eight of them well above UK permitted limits.
Tests revealed that one of the AliExpress balloons contained nitrosamines – chemicals that are potential carcinogens – six times the legally allowed level.
An eBay balloon and a balloon from The Range – also available at Wilko – were found to contain four times the safe level of nitrosamine.
Wilko said it independently tested these products in June 2025 and found them to be safe.
“But, as customer safety remains our top priority, we have recalled the balloons from our stores and website as a precaution while we conduct further testing.”
The balloons bought from Debenhams contained more than twice the legal amount of nitrosatable substances – chemicals that can turn into nitrosamines when mixed with saliva.
Which one? Testimony from consumers suggests its investigation may be just the “tip of the iceberg” for dangerous balloons sold on online marketplaces.
The watchdog said Trevor and Lucille Mathers purchased the balloons from Amazon Marketplace for their child’s birthday in March 2024.
A full year later, Amazon sent Trevor and Lucille a notification warning that the balloons they purchased could cause cancer, with the consumer group saying the product contained potentially carcinogenic chemicals in amounts at least 25 times the legal limit.
The warning states that the substances present in the balloons can cause cancer if ingested or through skin contact and that a child can become vulnerable to cancer if they touch or put them in the mouth.
Mr Mathers told Which?: “It wasn’t easy to read that when you know that’s exactly what your kids are doing, Amazon found out months later that the balloons were filled with carcinogens, but didn’t tell us.”
Amazon said it immediately removed the balloons from sale upon receiving the information. Later, when he received requests to contact customers, it happened immediately.
Natalie Hitchins, Jo What? Said she bought two packs of balloons from Sheen for her son’s birthday.
She said: “The strong chemical smell from a pack of superhero-themed balloons was really noticeable. As I blew them up, my lips went numb, I could only taste the chemicals and I felt dizzy. At the same time my partner came into the room and was shocked by the chemical smell.”
Which one? The same balloons that Ms Hitchens had purchased were tested and found to contain more than twice the legally allowed level of nitrosamine.
A seller at a Shein store reported 99,000 sales of balloons that contained more than twice the legal limit of nitrosamine, the consumer group said.
Another seller of carcinogenic balloons on eBay had 277 listings and claimed to have sold over 300,000 – however, which one? Confirmed that he has not tested the remaining list beyond the specified list.
Which one? Sue Davies, head of consumer protection policy, said: “Allowing children to be exposed to high concentrations of carcinogens is outrageous – particularly given the repeated official safety warnings given for balloons over the past 10 years.
“Seemingly innocent items like party balloons can have serious health consequences if they are not properly tested to ensure they comply with safety laws.
“The government should immediately prioritize secondary regulations for the Product Regulation and Metrology Act to impose a clear legal duty on online marketplaces to ensure the safety of products sold through their third-party sellers, with strict enforcement for those that fall short.”
An AliExpress spokesperson said: “We take product safety very seriously and have strict rules and policies in place to ensure a safe online shopping environment. Third-party sellers who list items for sale on our marketplace must comply with applicable law as well as our platform rules and policies.
“The list of products that failed the test has been removed from the site. Our platform will inform consumers who purchased the products directly about the risks, unsuitability for use, and support consumers’ refund requests.”
A spokesperson for Debenhams said: “The product in question was listed by a third-party seller through our marketplace. As soon as we were made aware of the potential security issue, we immediately removed this product and all similar listings under the same brand from our website.
“We have contacted the customer who purchased this product to inform them of the issue and provide assistance. While the product was sold by an independent third-party seller, we are following up with them to understand how this occurred.”
An eBay spokesperson said: “The two listings identified by What have been removed and sellers have been notified.”
“We are conducting a comprehensive marketplace review to remove any listings offering similar products and automatically notify buyers of any security issues.”
Sheen said: “Upon learning of these claims, we immediately removed the items from our site as a precaution while we investigate.”
A spokesperson for Wilko said: “We independently tested these products in June 2025 and found them to be safe.
“But, as customer safety remains our top priority, we have withdrawn the balloons from our stores and website as a precautionary measure while we conduct further testing to verify the suitability of these items.
“Any customers who purchased these balloons are able to receive a full refund by returning the product to us.”
Range has removed the balloons from its site.