This is the AliExpress retro console that was banned because it was declared toxic

The world of video games It is evolving rapidly, and with it, the emergence of new products that aim to conquer their users. Among the devices that have gained popularity in recent times are the portable consoles who seek to imitate the style of the boy game of Nintendo first appeared in the late 1980s in Japan and operated on batteries or rechargeable batteries.

If it is a specific model, there is one that has positioned itself as one of the favorites of video game lovers. It is the Anbernic RG353VS Retro Console which has been marketed on various e-commerce platforms, being one of the most famous AliExpress .

The Anbernic RG353RVS has a large number of emulators that allow its users to easily access classic games from Nintendo, Sony and other brands of consoles.

Its compact design and ergonomics make it an easy object to carry anywhere, facilitating entertainment just like the old consoles of childhood did. Added to this is the fact that its cost is relatively affordable.

However, not everything can be so good. Recently, it was announced that the sale of the device was banned in European countries because it was declared toxic.

Thanks to an alert published on its website, the European Commission has indicated that the marketing of the famous Anbernic RG353VS portable console is restricted following detections high levels of lead in its manufacturing which exceed those permitted in the European Union.

The high amounts of the metal in the artifact could pose an environmental risk, the agency said. It was not mentioned whether there could be an impact on people’s health.

As reported in Commission Safety Alert No A12/01492/24, the welds of the product have “an excessive concentration of lead” which represents approximately 28% of the weight of this section.

The European Commission also assured that the high amount of lead detected in the handheld console made it non-compliant with the requirements of the RoHS 2 directive, which restricts the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic devices throughout the European Union.

The Commission’s alert regarding the presence of this product came within the framework of Safety barrier formerly called Rapid Alert System (Rapex, for its acronym in English. It is a system for exchanging information on dangerous non-food products.

“Every day, national authorities send alerts to Safety Gate. Each alert contains information on the type of product detected as dangerous, a description of the risk and the measures adopted by the economic operator or ordered by the authority. Each alert is monitored by the other authorities, which take their own measures if they detect the same product on their respective national markets,” they detail on their website.

According to Infobae, after the European organization’s alert was issued, one of the platforms where the console was on sale, AliExpress, decided to take action in this regard.

Concretely, the online purchasing platform has decided to remove the Anbernic RG353VS from its catalog.

In a message sent to users who had purchased it, the app stated the following: “We have learned that the following product you purchased is or may be illegal and has been/should be removed from the market.” They also added that it will be possible to request a refund of the purchase, which can be processed within 15 days from the request.

Lead is a heavy metal with a bluish-gray color, flexible and with a high melting capacity. For years, it has been a fundamental element in the manufacture of different products, such as batteries, ammunition, pipes, gasoline, electrical cables and even toys or cosmetics. It is also present in a wide variety of foods.

Although this metal occurs naturally in the environment, high levels of this element are mainly produced by human activities, such as mining and metallurgy, which contribute to environmental pollution.

According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ASTDR) in the United States, environmental lead levels have increased “more than a thousand-fold over the past three centuries” due to human activity. The largest increase was recorded between 1950 and 2000.

The widespread use of this metal has also caused serious public health problems worldwide, says the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) .

“It is a cumulative toxicant that affects multiple body systems, including the cardiovascular and neurological, hematologic, digestive, and renal systems. Children are particularly vulnerable to the neurotoxic effects of lead, and even relatively low levels of exposure can cause severe or even irreversible neurological damage.

Given the risks they could pose to the environment and human health, the European Union has been seeking for years to strengthen the restriction of the use of dangerous substances, such as lead, in different classes of products.