Crocs are as popular in China as Angry Birds or KFC, but now it appears they may be something besides hideous looking: they are apparently bad for your health.

CCTV is reporting that some varieties of Croc-style shoes sold in China pose a health risk to consumers due to some producers adding phthalates to the plastic shoes in order to increase their flexibility, durability, and longevity.

Guangzhou Daily blames domestic factories, which are trying to cut production costs by using the dangerous chemicals. The paper cites a German report noting six out of the ten Croc shoes tested contained polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). PAHs can cause problems when exposed to humans, particularly to expectant mothers. They can result in kids with asthma, anxiety, and other issues.

It’s important to note, however, no authentic shoes made by the Croc company itself were found with the additive.

So how can you tell if your shoes are safe? Apparently the hazardous fake Crocs have a strong, acrid odor. If you ask some Chinese retailers, though, they’ll say the smell is nothing to worry about. A vendor at a stall at Beijing’s Xiyuan market says the bad smell is normal.

All of the shoes that are on sale here can be purchased at malls for hundreds of kuai. However, both these shops and my own all get our stock from the same source. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the quality of these shoes. Take these shoes home and leave them out in the sun, and after a few days the odor will disappear.

Meanwhile, knock-off Crocs are also sold cheaply online. On Taobao, one high-profile retailer had sold over 1,000 Crocs for 50 yuan. After some customers had complained of the smell, the retailer wrote:

No matter what material is being used, there is always going to be a smell. When retail stores display their shoes for a long time, the smell won’t be as strong after a while. Shoes having a smell is normal, and has nothing to do with the shoes being bad. You just need to place them in a place with ventilation and sunlight, and the smell with disappear.

We hope that people everywhere will protect their own safety before buying a faulty product that poses health risks. After that, we also hope that people everywhere will choose to uphold a basic standard of fashion.

Photo: Business Insider