The Shanghai Industrial and Commercial Administrative Bureau said yesterday the problems, including the light-transmission ratio exceeding the accepted level and non-standard labels, were exposed during a routine market swoop.

"We found the light-transmission ratio of a pair of Prada light-colored sunglasses was 51.1 percent, much higher than the standard top limit of 40 percent," said Zhou Shuguang, an official with the bureau.

"If the light-transmission ratio is too high, the sunglasses will lose their sunlight-screening function."

The Times Square in Pudong New Area said the Tiancai Glasses Store where the faulty Prada sunglasses were found left the market a month ago.

The sunglasses' producer, the Shanghai Hydron Contact Lens Optics, was not available for comment over the problems with Prada, an Italian-based company.

The same ratio problems were found in a pair of light-colored sunglasses bearing the United States-based brand Esprit, produced by the Shanghai Emori Trade Co Ltd.

The sunglasses, however, are still selling in the Hongxing Glasses Tianshan Road branch, where the faulty pair were found.

"We received the inspection report recently, but no notice said we should stop selling the products," said Shi Minfei, an official with the branch. "The product is still on the shelves."

A pair of sunglasses bearing the brand of MaxMara, another Italian-based firm, for sale in the Citic Square did not have the product type on its label, the bureau said.

Ten types of sunglasses out of 67 were found to have quality problems in the inspection.

Most of them had an improper light-transmission ratio or an inadequate anti-ultraviolet function, the bureau said.