Consumer group Which? is urging a crackdown by online marketplaces after tests discovering worrying levels of chemicals linked to cancer discovered in balloons popular with kids
Party balloons containing illegal levels of cancer causing chemicals have been found for sale on online stores including Debenhams and eBay.
Some being advertised by third party sellers on the sites had as much as six times the permitted limits, according to tests carried out by Which? The consumer group branded its findings “outrageous”, especially given repeated warnings about dangerous levels over the past 10 years. The risk comes from touching the balloon, when people put them to their lips to blow up, or breathe in the smell.
Which? bought 21 packs of latex balloons on seven online marketplaces and put them through British standard tests to find the levels of carcinogenic chemicals they contained. Eight out of the 21 were found to have had concentrations of potentially carcinogenic chemicals far above the UK’s permitted limit – meaning that they were being sold illegally.
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They included one balloon sold through China-based AliExpress, which is growing rapidly in the UK, that contained more than six times the legally permitted level of nitrosamines – chemicals that are probable carcinogens. A balloon sold through eBay and another from The Range – also available at Wilko – had more than four times the safe level of nitrosamines, said Which? And tests showed a balloon bought from Debenhams had more than twice the legal amount of nitrosatable substances – chemicals that can turn into nitrosamines when they mix with saliva.
Trevor and Lucille Mathers bought balloons from Amazon’s Marketplace in March 2024 for their child’s birthday. A year later, Amazon sent a notification warning the balloons they bought could cause cancer. In fact, they contained at least 25 times the legal limit of potentially carcinogenic chemicals. The alert warned substances in the balloons may cause cancer through ingestion or skin contact when touched. Trevor told Which?: “It wasn’t easy to read when you know your kids have been doing exactly that, months after Amazon knew the balloons were loaded with carcinogens but didn’t tell us”. Amazon said it removed the balloons from sale immediately when notified.
While concerning that adults are exposed to carcinogens, children’s bodies are still developing and less able to break down these chemicals without them damaging the body. Natalie Hitchins, who works at Which? had a similar experience when she bought two packs of balloons from online giant Shein 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, all I could taste were chemicals and I became dizzy. At that point my partner came into the room and was shocked by the chemical smell.” Which? tested the same balloons that Natalie bought and found them to contain more than twice the legally permitted level of nitrosamines.
Sue Davies, Which? head of consumer protection policy, said: “Allowing children to be exposed to high concentrations of carcinogens is outrageous – especially given the repeated official safety warnings for balloons over the last ten years. Seemingly innocent items like party balloons can have serious health consequences if there aren’t proper checks to make sure they comply with safety laws.”
Which? says people should always buy balloons with a CE/UKCA mark. While these marks can be counterfeited by unscrupulous manufacturers and traders, it says that when used properly they show that the balloons meet all of the required health, safety, and environmental standards. It also urges the public to use a pump to inflate balloons so as not to contact the mouth, and says if children are aged under eight then adults should inflate balloons for them.
All the companies featured in the tests insisted they took customer safety very seriously. An AliExpress spokesperson said: “We 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 the applicable law as well as our platform rules and policies. The listings of the products that failed the test have been removed from the site.”
Debenhams said: “The product in question was listed by a third-party seller through our marketplace. As soon as we were made aware of a potential safety issue, we immediately removed this product and all similar listings under the same brand from our website.”
Ebay said: “The two listings identified by Which? have been removed and the sellers have been informed. We’re reviewing the wider marketplace to remove any listings offering identical products and automatically notifying buyers of any safety issues.”
Shein said: “Upon learning of these claims, we immediately removed the items from our site as a precaution while we investigate.”
A Wilko spokesperson 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 recalled the balloons from our stores and website as a precautionary measure while we undertake further testing to verify the suitability of these items.”
