PodcastTurkish woman develops skin infection from shoes made of hazardous materials
A Turkish woman has developed a serious infection on her feet just one day after wearing her newly bought pair of shoes. “The doctors told me that the shoes had carcinogenic materials and that it had side effects on me,” Gonca Gül said.
Duvar English
A Turkish woman's life turned to hell after she bought a pair of shoes worth 30 liras ($3.6) from a store in Istanbul's Küçükçekmece district.
Just one day after wearing the shoes, the woman started to develop an infection on her feet. A doctor report confirmed that the infection stemmed from chemical materials, which she said came from the shoes.
“I will file a criminal complaint against the store [that sold the shoes]. The doctors told me that the shoes had carcinogenic materials and that they had side effects on me. They will take a tissue sample from my feet,” the 42-year-old Gonca Gül told Demirören news agency on Aug. 25.
Afterwards, Gül filed a criminal complaint at the courthouse. Prosecutors will determine whether it was the shoes that caused the infection or another factor, following an analysis.
Experts have been warning against cheaply-made shoes. “The materials used in the production are very important. It is very important if leather or another material is being used in especially clothes and shoes. Chemicals or other materials that are used in cheaply-made products might lead to allergic reactions,” said Prof. Dr. Burghan Engin, from Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine.
Engin further said that the use of such chemicals poses a risk factor in terms of cancer in the long run.
“Therefore also online shopping from untrustworthy websites is not recommended. It is advisable to shop from trustworthy websites that offer products with certain standards, which are on the market for a while now and whose side effects are thoroughly evaluated,” he said.