Italian Police Seize 1.7 Million Counterfeit Shoes Rich In Hexavalent Chromium Toxins - AFP

[hatrack]

And guess where the shoes came from?


Italian police said Friday they had confiscated some 1.7 million counterfeit shoes made with leather containing illegal toxins, most of them from China.

Operation "Toxic Shoes" began in May and 21 Chinese and seven Italians are now being prosecuted for selling counterfeit products and threatening public health, a police spokesman told AFP.

Shoes containing hexavalent chromium compounds which are illegal in Italy due to their high toxicity and potentially carcinogenic effect were seized in Tuscany, police said.

A police unit responsible for financial crimes seized counterfeit imports which were mostly made in China but were labelled as "real leather" and "made in Italy", police said.

EDIT

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Italian_police_bust_Chinese_imports_in_operation_Toxic_Shoes_999.html

[phantom power]

1. That would be hexavalent chromium of Erin Brockovich fame?

Amazing what a change in oxidation state will do.

[XemaSab]

2. One of my more memorable "overheards" from my days at URS:

"You didn't test for hex chromium!?!?!?!"

:hide: