Belgrade Kindergartens Withdraw 'Kids Oxy' Soap After Causing Rashes in Children

A concerning situation has unfolded in Belgrade's kindergartens, where a hand soap intended for children, 'Kids Oxy,' has been found to cause adverse skin reactions, including rashes, redness, and itching. The issue came to light after parents noticed these symptoms on their children's hands and reported their concerns to the kindergartens.

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What parents and children themselves noticed on their hands was a rash, redness, itching, and small sores. They concluded that the soap children were washing their hands with was the cause of all this.

Despite parental complaints, kindergartens were initially unable to withdraw the soap or replace it with an alternative. They cited a document from the Institute for General and Physical Chemistry, which had deemed the soap safe based solely on its declaration. However, it was later revealed that the Institute had not actually tested the soap's composition from a sample, relying only on the provided label.

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The Institute gave an assessment of the soap, according to which the soap is safe for use. However, it turned out that they gave that assessment only based on the declaration on the soap. Therefore, the Institute did not test the composition of the soap from a sample.

Following continued problems, the Belgrade City Institute for Public Health and the Republic Sanitary Inspection intervened. Subsequent chemical analysis of the soap revealed that it contained substances not listed on the declaration, and some listed ingredients were present in higher concentrations than permitted. This confirmed the parents' suspicions and led to the soap's withdrawal from all Belgrade kindergartens just days ago.

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The chemical composition of the soap itself showed that it is not safe for use after all. Substances were found in the soap that were not listed on the mentioned declaration. Other substances were listed, but not in the quantity mentioned on the declaration, meaning there were more of them than allowed.

Adding to the public's concern, the Secretariat for Education issued a statement indicating the soap would be withdrawn, yet perplexing stated that it was 'unclear why the product is being withdrawn' despite having 'proper documentation.' This response has raised questions about the procurement and quality control processes for products used in educational institutions. Experts emphasize the need for rigorous chemical analysis of all supplies entering kindergartens and public facilities to prevent children from being exposed to potentially harmful substances.

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It is worrying that probably no one controlled this, because the Secretariat itself said that it is not part of the procedure. I believe that the City Institute for Public Health, or the Republic Sanitary Inspection, should check the chemical composition of everything that enters kindergartens and public institutions in general, because such a chemical composition is truly worrying. Children were washing their hands with some poisonous substance, there were irritants that dry out children's skin.