Alert on lethal metal kids' jewelry

Hear ye, all parents! Do your kids wear jewelry? Do you know what kind of jewelry they’re wearing? Now, read this: According to Health Canada, so reports CBC News, cheap children’s jewelry made in China has been found to contain cadmium, a heavy metal that is more toxic than lead.

In an e-mail sent to us, Richard Gutierrez of Ban Toxics! (www.bantoxics.org) writes: “FYI, there are more concerns regarding toys coming from China, particularly the use of cadmium in place of lead. Cadmium is a rare metallic element found in small deposits on almost every continent. It has a number of uses, perhaps most famously as a pigment in paint. Cadmium is also toxic, and will bioaccumulate, concentrating in the body without being expressed like other toxins are.”  

An Associated Press report says that children’s jewelry, among other things, is sold at Yiwu’s wholesale market. Googling Yiwu, you’ll discover that Yiwu is located in the central Zhejiang province, some 300 kms. away from Shanghai. It’s famous for its bustling free markets. Why, it’s the “largest market of petty commodity wholesales in the world where various foreign buyers (probably including our own) go to place orders”!

Interviews with more than a dozen manufacturers and sellers, reports AP, confirmed that cadmium was a common component in seemingly harmless kids’ metal trinkets.

This cheap jewelry made in China and sold at major North American chains like Wal-Mart and Claire’s has been found to be made almost entirely of cadmium. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued an advisory warning consumers about this lethal metal.

According to the AP investigation, of the 103 pieces of low-priced children’s jewelry tested for cadmium, the toxic metal made up at least 10 per cent of the metal ingredients in 12 of the items and an alarming 90 per cent in some.

These cheap charm bracelets and pendants sold in the US may look charming but beware! To repeat, cadmium is more toxic than lead. And tests show that some of these cheap jewelry items shed cadmium easily, raising parental concerns about children’s exposure to the metal.

Health experts warn that lead and cadmium are toxic metals that can have harmful effects on children’s behavior and the development of children even at very low levels.

According to the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR), we can all be exposed to cadmium through:

• Eating foods containing cadmium — low levels are found in all foods; the highest in shellfish, liver, and kidney meats.

• Drinking contaminated water.

Eating food or drinking water with very high levels can severely irritate the stomach, leading to vomiting and diarrhea.

• Smoking cigarettes or breathing cigarette smoke.

• Breathing contaminated workplace air. Breathing high levels of cadmium can severely damage the lungs.

• Living near industrial facilities which release cadmium into the air.

TSDR experts warn that “long-term exposure to lower levels of cadmium in air, food, or water leads to a buildup of cadmium in the kidneys and possible kidney disease. Other long-term effects are lung damage and fragile bones.”

And now, this big question: Can cadmium cause cancer?

Answer: According to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), cadmium and cadmium compounds are known human carcinogens.

How does cadmium affect children? Just as badly as it affects adults (kidneys, lungs, bones), and perhaps even worse. Animal studies show that younger animals absorb more cadmium than adults. The young are more prone to bone loss and decreased bone strength than adults.

So how can families reduce their risk of exposure to cadmium?

Here are some life-saving tips from the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry:

• At home, store substances that contain cadmium safely, and keep nickel-cadmium batteries out of reach of young children.

• Cadmium is a component of tobacco smoke. Avoid smoking in enclosed spaces like inside the home or car in order to limit exposure to children and other family members.

• If you work with cadmium, use all safety precautions to avoid carrying cadmium-containing dust home from work on your clothing, skin, hair, or tools.

• A balanced diet can reduce the amount of cadmium taken into the body from food and drink.

In Canada, Health Canada advises parents not to allow children to suck or chew on any jewelry. If consumers suspect jewelry might contain lead or cadmium, they can safely dispose of it in their regular household waste.

Surely, our children’s safety is not something to be treated as kid stuff.

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