One of your most painful — literally speaking — childhood memories probably has to do with the much dreaded trip to the doctor’s or the dentist’s clinic. And even now as a certified adult, you haven’t quite outgrown the trauma. To make the experience a little less excruciating, a candy or a little toy must have been dangled before your eyes. Well, in the US, some doctor and dentist offices used to give away happy charm bracelets and football rings to their young patients until these were recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). These rather charming charm bracelets were made of beads strung together on a small elastic band with a metal charm in the shape of a butterfly, moon or sun. On the other hand, the rings were made of small adjustable metal bands to which were attached metal football charms. According to a report by Kathy Shwiff of Dow Jones Newswires, recalled were some 66,200 charm bracelets and 2,200 rings given out by doctors and dentists after these were found to contain high levels of cadmium, a metal which, if ingested by young children, is toxic and can cause health risks with long-term exposure. These pieces of kiddie jewelry were made in China and imported by two US companies. No injuries related to the products were reported.
According to the report, the recall came weeks after McDonald’s Corp. recalled 12 million Shrek souvenir glasses following a CPSC warning that children could get small amounts of cadmium on their hands just by holding the glasses. Now, that’s enough to make parents shriek at the mere sight of the Shrek glasses!
End of story? Not quite. Here, read this letter:
Dear Consumerline:
After the Associated Press found cadmium in children’s jewelry being sold in the US, a California-based consumer watchdog, the Center for Environmental Health (CEH), has now sounded the alarm bell over the presence of cadmium in adult jewelry. CEH-initiated testing found alarming levels of cadmium, a chemical that can cause cancer, genetic harm, and kidney ailments, in some adult necklaces and bracelets. Among the items tested and found tainted with cadmium was a “breast cancer awareness” bracelet for women, which exceeded the 0.004% state limit by 18,000 times! Cadmium has been linked to increases in breast cancer in the US.
The EcoWaste Coalition hopes that government officials are informed about the toxic threat from cadmium in jewelry and are planning something concrete to ensure that consumers, especially women and children, will not be exposed to this carcinogenic substance.
Sincerely,
MANNY C. CALONZO
Initiating the US’ first legal action on cadmium in jewelry, the CEH released this story:
“The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) yesterday notified four leading retailers, Saks Fifth Avenue, Justice, Catherine’s, and Aeropostale that independent lab testing has found significant levels of cadmium in jewelry purchased from their stores in December and January.
“Legislation in Washington State enacted last year bans more than 0.004% cadmium in products for children. Lab tests show that a cupcake pendant on a children’s necklace from Justice and a pink ribbon “breast cancer awareness” women’s bracelet from a Catherine’s store each contains more than 18,000 times that level. A 2009 research review found that exposures to cadmium could be responsible for a significant percentage of the recent increases in breast cancer cases.
“An Associated Press report in January noted high levels of the toxic metal cadmium found in many pieces of children’s jewelry, and suggested that, in response to the new federal law banning lead in children’s products, jewelry makers may be using cadmium in place of lead.
“‘Our legal action sends a strong signal to industry that we will not stand by while they play toxic flavor of the month with jewelry,’ said Michael Green, executive director of CEH. ‘Cadmium is toxic at any age. There is no excuse for cadmium in any jewelry, and we intend to eliminate this health threat to women and children.’
“Cadmium is a heavy metal that can cause cancer, genetic damage, and kidney problems. A 2006 study concluded that exposure in children ‘should be limited as much as possible’ to prevent direct health problems and problems later in their lives. A recent review of cadmium’s potential for reproductive harm concluded that the chemical ‘has the potential to affect reproduction, at every stage of the reproductive process.’ In men, this includes problems with sperm production; in women, it includes problems getting and maintaining a pregnancy as well as birth defects. People can be exposed to cadmium if they touch, suck on or accidentally swallow metal pieces, and studies show it can stay in our bodies for more than two decades.
“The CEH legal notices are based on California consumer protection law, which applies to any jewelry that exposes children or adults to significant levels of cadmium. Federal laws on lead in children’s products, including jewelry, went into effect last year, but a loophole in the law has allowed jewelry makers to substitute cadmium. Congresswomen Jackie Speier has introduced legislation to ban cadmium and other toxic metals from all children’s jewelry nationwide.
“On Monday, California State Senator Fran Pavley, who in 2006 authored the nation’s first ban on lead in children’s jewelry, introduced a bill in California to ban the use of cadmium in children’s jewelry sold in California.
“In January, CEH announced its landmark legal agreement setting the nation’s first binding rules to end health threats from lead in purses and handbags. CEH’s legal work has previously uncovered lead threats from toys, vinyl baby bibs, diaper creams and children’s medicines, lunchboxes, children’s jewelry, automobile wheel weights, and many other products.”
For more on cadmium in jewelry, visit www.ceh.org
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