France issues warning over thousands of substandard condoms
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The thought might not be uppermost in your mind when the time comes, but condoms sold in the EU and European Economic Area should always carry the CE marking on the packaging showing they have passed relevant safety and standards checksImage: Robin Utrecht/ROBIN UTRECHT/picture alliance
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France's anti-fraud and health agencies issued a joint statement on Friday saying they were recalling more than a quarter of a million condoms that could be defective.
It said that the majority were sold online via major marketplaces by Asian vendors.
What did the government agencies say about the potentially substandard condoms?
Of the roughly 260,000 contraceptives being recalled, authorities said around 1,000 boxes, or 40,000 individual condoms, had already been sold.
"Laboratory analyses identified two non-compliant products, characterized by a risk of bursting and, in one case, the presence of perforations," authorities said.
The anti-fraud agency, the DGCCRF, and the DGS health agency said in a joint statement that the condoms lacked the required CE marking that designates a product conforms with the standards of the European Economic Area trading zone.
Even novelty and seasonal condoms should carry the CE markingImage: Michael Bihlmayer/CHROMORANGE/picture alliance
"The identified condoms lack a CE marking, third-party conformity assessment, and — in most cases — packaging in French," the government agencies said. "Consequently, they are deemed non-compliant and potentially pose serious risks to user health and safety (such as sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies)."
The statement advised people who had used the condoms to get screened for sexually transmitted infections and to take a pregnancy test if they had any reason to be suspicious such as a missed or late period.
The government said the online vendors had agreed to remove the affected listings and to send in the recalled products.
The statement listed two brands of condoms made by a Japanese company, Okamoto Industries, and the brands MyLubie and Friday Bae by Passage du Desir.
France offers people aged up to 25 free condoms via pharmacies without a prescription in a bid to prevent STIs and unwanted pregnancies.
Young people in France are mostly eligible for free condoms from pharmacies without a prescription under a policy initiated during Emmanuel Macron's presidencyImage: Aurore Marechal/ABACA/picture alliance
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Edited by: Sean Sinico
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