Thread: Toxic metal in kids' jewelry from China - cadmium substitued for lead

Consumer chief warns: take cheap jewelry from kids
By Justin Pritchard, Associated Press Writer
48 mins ago

LOS ANGELES – The nation's product safety agency issued an unprecedented warning Wednesday to parents: Don't give your children cheap metal jewelry. And if they already have some, toss it because it could contain hazardous levels of heavy metals such as lead and cadmium.

Writing in a blog posting Wednesday evening, the chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission noted that children who chew, suck on or swallow a bracelet charm or necklace may be endangering their health.

"I have a message for parents, grandparents and caregivers: Do not allow young children to be given or to play with cheap metal jewelry, especially when they are unsupervised," wrote Inez Tenenbaum, the chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

In making the recommendation, Tenenbaum cited an investigation by The Associated Press which reported high cadmium levels in kids' jewelry items imported from China including bracelet charms from Walmart and Claire's stores.

Lab tests conducted for the AP on 103 pieces of low-priced children's jewelry found 12 items with cadmium content above 10 percent of the total weight. Several of those shed very high amounts of the metal when analyzed for how much of the toxin a child might be exposed to after swallowing the item.

Like lead, cadmium can hinder brain development in young children, according to recent research. It also causes cancer. "To prevent young children from possibly being exposed to lead, cadmium or any other hazardous heavy metal, take the jewelry away," Tenenbaum wrote.

While neither Tenenbaum nor an agency spokesman would outright say not to buy cheap children's jewelry, the inference was clear.

For items already in homes, "Parents should 'safely dispose' of the jewelry following state and local environmental laws, and not resell it through online auctions or to a thrift store," CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson said.

Even during the height of product recalls from China several years ago — when millions of items of jewelry or painted toys with high lead levels were taken off store shelves — the CPSC did not issue such a public warning. Although it did not carry the force of law, the announcement Wednesday was far bigger than a recall in scope: Instead of going after one particular item, the CPSC targeted an entire industry.

In a written statement, an attorney representing the Fashion Jewelry Trade Association said the organization's members "have worked diligently over the past 18 months to comply with new lead standards and other new safety regulations" that were part of major legislation passed in 2008.

"Safety is our No. 1 concern and our members manufacture safe products," attorney Sheila A. Millar wrote. "We are continuing to investigate and are in contact with CPSC and retail customers."

Tenenbaum said the agency is "actively investigating the jewelry cited in the recent AP story." She said the inquiry "is squarely focused on ensuring the safety of children."

Asked whether Tenenbaum's posting reflected findings beyond what AP reported, Wolfson said, "We don't have enough information to answer that but we want to be proactive and forward looking."

While the CPSC's focus has been on children's jewelry — defined by law as for those 12 and under — testing reviewed by AP apart from its original investigation showed that some adult jewelry also can contain high levels of cadmium. None of the CPSC statements Wednesday addressed safety concerns about adult jewelry.

Other reaction has been swift and sweeping.

Within hours of the release of AP's original story Sunday, the CPSC said it would investigate the highlighted items, among them charms that contained between 84 and 91 percent cadmium. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Claire's, an international accessories and jewelry chain with nearly 3,000 stores in North America and Europe, have since pulled items cited in the report from shelves. Wal-Mart had no comment Wednesday about Tenenbaum's advice; a spokesman for Claire's did not return a call and e-mail seeking comment.

In a recorded speech delivered earlier in the week, Tenenbaum also admonished Asian manufacturers meeting in Hong Kong not to substitute cadmium or other heavy metals for lead, which effectively has been banned from children's jewelry and toys since passage of the 2008 law.

An official with China's product safety agency said it would examine the findings and several members of Congress have urged reforms in U.S. regulations.

Earlier Wednesday, a senior U.S. senator unveiled legislation to ban cadmium and two other heavy metals from children's jewelry and toys. "It is just despicable that a manufacturer anywhere, in this case in China, would use something that's known to be poisonous to children and put it in children's jewelry to save a few bucks," New York Democrat Charles E. Schumer told reporters outside a dollar store in Rochester, N.Y., that sold charm bracelets with high cadmium content.

Schumer plans to introduce the "Safe Kids' Jewelry Act" when Congress resumes session next week.

In issuing her warning, Tenenbaum said the agency is "working to take decisive action," using the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, "a law aimed at keeping kids safe from toxic chemicals and metals."

To date, the CPSC has never pursued an enforcement action against a product based on that authority.

___

Associated Press writers Ben Dobbin in Rochester, N.Y., and Charles Hutzler in Beijing contributed to this report.

___

On the Net: http://www.cpsc.gov/onsafety/

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100114/...5zdW1lcmNoaWU-

'Princess and Frog' pendants recalled for cadmium
By Justin Pritchard, Associated Press Writer
2 hrs 3 mins ago

This undated file photo released by chemistry professor Jeff Weidenhamer of Ashland University, shows a 'The Princess and the Frog' necklace purchased at a Walmart in Mansfield, Ohio in Dec. 2009. Federal consumer safety regulators are announcing a recall of 'The Princess and The Frog' movie-themed children's pendants, citing high levels of the toxic heavy metal cadmium. Friday's recall affects about 55,000 items, sold exclusively at Walmart stores. The voluntary recall by FAF Inc., of Greenville, R.I., comes several weeks after an Associated Press investigation reported high levels of cadmium in the pendants and other children's metal jewelry imported from China.

Federal consumer safety regulators on Friday announced the recall of "The Princess and The Frog" pendants because of high levels of the toxic metal cadmium, an unprecedented action that reflects concerns of an emerging threat in children's products.

The recall affects two products, about 55,000 items in total, sold exclusively at Walmart stores for $5 each. The action was taken voluntarily by Rhode Island-based jewelry company FAF Inc., which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which disclosed the recall, had been testing for cadmium in children's metal jewelry for several weeks in response to an Associated Press investigation that reported high levels of the known carcinogen in the Disney movie-themed pendants and other children's metal jewelry imported from China.

In reaction to the AP's reporting earlier this month, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. had pulled three items from its shelves, including the two recalled Friday — a crown pendant with UPC number 72783367144 and a frog pendant with UPC number 72783367147. The items had been on sale at Walmart stores since November, in conjunction with release of the animated movie.

Soon after Wal-Mart pulled the items, the CPSC's chairman advised parents to throw away all pieces of inexpensive metal jewelry, noting that children who chew, suck on or swallow a bracelet charm or necklace may be endangering their health.

Consumers can return the two recalled items "to any Walmart store for a full refund or a free replacement product," according to the recall notice. Wal-Mart did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The recall marks the first time any consumer product has been recalled in the United States because of cadmium, which recent research also suggests can harm brain development in children. The CPSC said in a statement that there have been no reports of cadmium poisonings associated with the pendants but that its investigation into other pieces of jewelry "remains open and active."

The Walt Disney Co., which produced the movie, said: "Disney supports the decision by FAF and the CPSC to recall the jewelry."

The Fashion Jewelry Trade Association, which represents the industry, had no immediate comment.

Lab tests conducted on 103 pieces of low-priced children's jewelry as part of AP's original investigation found 12 items with cadmium content above 10 percent of the total weight. One item consisted of 91 percent cadmium by weight.

Pendants from four "The Princess and The Frog" necklaces ranged between 25 and 35 percent cadmium, according to the testing. At the time, Walt Disney said in a statement that test results provided by FAF Inc. showed the item complied with all applicable safety standards. But in the case of cadmium, unlike lead, there have been no specific levels that would automatically trigger health risks to children or a push for a recall.

As part of its investigation, the CPSC bought pieces of the jewelry cited in the AP reports, tested them in the agency's lab and found high levels as well. Based on the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, agency staff determined that the items posed a health risk to children, according to agency spokesman Scott Wolfson. The agency then approached FAF, which cooperated with the investigation and agreed to the recall.

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On the Net: http://www.cpsc.gov/onsafety/


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100129/...luY2Vzc2FuZGY-

2 stores pull necklaces on toxic cadmium concern
By Justin Pritchard, Associated Press Writer
Thu Feb 4, 6:40 pm ET

This photo provided by Charles Margulis taken on Feb. 1, 2010 in Oakland, Calif. shows a black-colored link necklace purchased at the retailer Off 5th, the outlet chain of Saks Fifth Avenue. Concern about the heavy metal cadmium in jewelry grew Tuesday Feb. 2, 2010, as a California environmental group said new testing of adult necklaces and bracelets bought at three leading retailers, including Saks Fifth Avenue and Aeropostale, detected high levels of the toxic material, as much as 75 percent by weight. The teen fashion chain Aeropostale and outlet stores of the upscale Saks Fifth Avenue announced on Thursday Feb. 4, 2010, they are pulling from shelves necklaces that tests showed have high levels of the toxic metal cadmium



This photo provided by Charles Margulis shows a bracelet with a 'breast cancer awareness' charm on Feb. 1, 2010 in Oakland, Calif. Concern about the heavy metal cadmium in jewelry grew Tuesday Feb. 2, 2010, as a California environmental group said new testing of adult necklaces and bracelets bought at three leading retailers, including Saks Fifth Avenue and Aeropostale, detected high levels of the toxic material, as much as 75 percent by weight.

To view the slideshow - which showcases 45 different pieces go to : http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Saks-F...938de296b51955

LOS ANGELES – The teen fashion chain Aeropostale and outlet stores of upscale Saks Fifth Avenue have pulled from shelves necklaces that an environmental group's tests showed have high levels of the toxic metal cadmium.

Aeropostale, Inc. went one step further, saying Thursday that from now on, no amount of cadmium will be acceptable in its jewelry — and that suppliers will have to prove products are clean with independent lab testing.

The announcements are the latest fallout from an Associated Press investigation which last month reported some children's jewelry is contaminated with cadmium, a known carcinogen that also can harm bones and kidneys.

In response to that reporting, the California-based Center for Environmental Health tested adult jewelry bought at stores including Aeropostale and Saks' Off 5th outlets, and this week threatened to sue the retailers after lab results showed between 25 and 75 percent of the items' total weight was cadmium.

The announcement from Aeropostale was significant because it represented the first time a company has said it is effectively banning cadmium in adult jewelry. Aeropostale has more than 900 locations in the United States and Canada.

Cheap metal jewelry worn by children and typically imported from China has to date been the focus of reaction by federal regulators, lawmakers and retailers. Kids are of particular concern because they bite or suck on jewelry and thus are more likely to be exposed to any cadmium it contains.

What risk adults may face isn't clear. Typically the metal requires long-term exposure to cause problems. The amounts adults might ingest from cadmium-contaminated jewelry are presumably lower than children because the route into the body is less direct — microscopic amounts could shed onto the hands of an adult who handles a necklace, and then be ingested either during eating or putting a contaminated finger to the mouth.

Saks and Aeropostale came under scrutiny after the Center for Environmental Health took samples from products sold at a range of retailers. Tests determined that jewelry at four retailers, including Saks and Aeropostale, had high levels of the substance.

The item Aeropostale pulled was a men's necklace that the environmental group's testing showed had a circular pendant with high levels of cadmium. It was made in India.

"Aeropostale's top priority is our customers and the quality of our merchandise," the company said in a statement. "Customers can return the necklace to any Aeropostale store and we will safely dispose of it. Further, we have notified our vendors that, effective immediately, all jewelry must also be tested for cadmium, in addition to our existing testing protocols, at an independent lab. We will not accept any product that contains cadmium."

Saks Inc. offered little reaction on Tuesday, when the center released results of high-cadmium items that included a black-colored link necklace which sold for $69.99, marked down from $149.99 according to the label.

On Thursday, Saks' spokeswoman Julia Bentley said only 10 of the necklaces have been sold in California, but that "because of the CEH threat of a lawsuit" all 55 Off 5th stores nationally are pulling any remaining necklaces from shelves. Customers can return the item for a refund, Bentley said.

In its initial news release on the results, the Center for Environmental Health said the necklace was bought at Saks Fifth Avenue; Bentley said that Off 5th sold the item, and on Thursday center spokesman Charles Margulis confirmed that is where center staff bought it. Bentley would not say whether the necklace was ever sold at Saks Fifth Avenue stores.

Margulis said the nonprofit will pursue lawsuits regardless of whether stores pull items.

"We don't know what the rest of their inventory may or may not contain," Margulis said. "Our goal is a settlement that will cover all their products."

To get there, the center has threatened a lawsuit under a California law it used to set stringent limits on lead in both adult and children's jewelry. The settlement of a similar 2006 lawsuit was pivotal in national efforts to reduce lead levels in all metal jewelry sold in the United States.

There is no limit under federal law on cadmium in any jewelry — children's or adult — sold in the U.S.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100204/..._jewelry/print

because they loaned us a LOT of money and we can't - literally - afford to piss them off ...

Feds recall more children jewelry in cadmium probe
Justin Pritchard, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 24 mins ago

Graphic shows where cadmium harms the body

LOS ANGELES – Federal regulators expanded their efforts Thursday to go after children's jewelry that contains high levels of the toxic metal cadmium by telling parents to throw away "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"-themed charm bracelets.

The warning from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission came after agency scientists found that the jewelry released alarmingly high levels of cadmium in lab tests, potentially exposing children to a carcinogen that also can damage kidneys and bones.

The action represents the second cadmium-related recall the government has carried out since an Associated Press investigation earlier this year found that some children's jewelry was made almost entirely with the heavy metal. About 55,000 "The Princess and The Frog" pendants sold at Walmart stores were recalled in the weeks after the AP published its initial findings.

Now the government is targeting "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" chain-link bracelets sold at dollar-type stores between 2006 and March 2009. The charms feature characters from the classic Christmas movie, including Rudolph and the abominable snowman.

As part of their investigation, safety commission scientists bathed the snowman in a liquid that simulates stomach acid to assess how much cadmium a child who swallowed it could be exposed to. The charm shed more than 20,000 micrograms of the metal in 24 hours — that translates into more cadmium than World Health Organization guidelines deem a safe exposure over 86 weeks for a 33-pound child.

The agency said in its announcement that there have been no known cadmium poisonings associated with the bracelets. Cadmium poisoning has not been widely studied or looked for and the agency said it is interested in receiving any reports of incidents or injuries.

Cadmium emerged as a safety concern earlier this year after the AP investigation revealed that lab tests conducted on 103 pieces of low-priced children's jewelry found 12 items with cadmium content above 10 percent of the total weight. In the testing done for AP, the Rudolph charm contained 91 percent cadmium.

One reason for the use of cadmium is that federal law now tightly restricts how much lead can be used in children's jewelry, but it does not explicitly ban cadmium's use.

The total number of Rudolph bracelets sold isn't known, the agency said, because the company that imported them from China is no longer in business. That company — Buy-Rite Designs, Inc. of Freehold, N.J. — was the subject of two separate charm bracelet recalls in 2007 due to high lead content.

A group that represents more than 200 jewelry producers, suppliers and retailers said in a statement "cadmium is not being widely substituted for lead" and that children's trinkets are safe.

"Available data indicates that children's jewelry does not contain levels of cadmium that could cause health risks," said Michael Gale, executive director of the Fashion Jewelry and Accessory Trade Association. "If there are isolated cases where a potential concern exists, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has the ability to follow established processes to address the issue."

That is what the agency did Thursday — just its second recall related to cadmium. The agency has acted aggressively in recent months after several years of ignoring scattered test results showing high levels of cadmium in children's jewelry provided by consumer advocates. Agency officials said they had to focus its limited resources on the dangers posed by lead in children's jewelry and faulty products such as cribs.

The commission's current efforts have included guidance from its chairman that parents should toss any piece of inexpensive metal jewelry, noting that children who chew, suck on or swallow a piece of jewelry may be exposing themselves to cadmium or lead. The commission continues to investigate the issue, spokesman Scott Wolfson said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100311/...RzcmVjYWxsbW8-

lemme guess, the jewelry's being made in china

Maybe you are right about being made in China but our American companies are the ones telling the Chinese to make these cheap goods. The American companies tell the Chinese companies to make this cheap stuff. I have been to China and the stuff that is made for the US companies is so cheap it can be sold only to the people who order it. This is made by order. I have bought very good products in China and still gave a low price for it.

You both are right, but I lay the blame squarely on the American consumers. In our insatiable thirst for cheap, throw away products, we are driving companies, large and small, to full fill that need. This sickness is undermining our wealth and our health.

oh not again! I will buy stuff , even car that r'e made in USA from now on.

Hey, this is a great opportunity for the U.S. to start paying down our debt to China; deduct the cost of not only the jewelry that has to be thrown out but also the amount the U.S. Government had to spend on this entire study/case!

Maybe if the US government would get out of the way, then the manufacturing of low cost items wouldn't be shipped overseas and the monitoring of safety protocols would be easier.

Maybe if the US government would get out of the way, then the manufacturing of low cost items wouldn't be shipped overseas and the monitoring of safety protocols would be easier.

Maybe if the US government would get out of the way, then the manufacturing of low cost items wouldn't be shipped overseas and the monitoring of safety protocols would be easier.

What are they talking about? Cadmium is good for you! I eat it in every meal.

This is why the US has things like regulations. It costs more but we don't produce jewelry with cadmium or baby formula with melamine. When politicians want to cut regulations it is to make us more like China. Which practices a capitalism at all costs policy. Consiquently they can make stuff really cheap and if it kills people, too bad, not thier problem.

Wal-Mart to limit toxic cadmium in kids' products
By Justin Pritchard And Natasha Metzler, AP Writers Mon Apr 26, 7:51 pm ET

LOS ANGELES – The world's largest retailer revealed Monday that it has started to crack down on the use of the toxic metal cadmium in children's jewelry and other kids' products.

The new policy doesn't affect what's on the shelves of Wal-Mart stores right now.

Instead, children's jewelry and craft-making kits, toys and child-care articles such as bibs and pacifiers manufactured as of April 9 are being tested for cadmium, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said.

Setting new standards is a voluntary move. Though cadmium can harm bones and kidneys and is a known carcinogen, there are no government regulations on how much of it is allowed in children's jewelry.

Wal-Mart's decision was spurred by investigative reports by The Associated Press that showed high levels of cadmium in some pieces of children's jewelry, including several which Wal-Mart later recalled.

The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission now wants to restrict cadmium in children's jewelry, and several lawmakers at the federal and state levels have proposed tight limits. In California, the state Senate on Monday passed a bill that would effectively ban cadmium in children's jewelry.

Retailers and jewelry firms, many importing their products from Chinese factories, are trying to influence whatever policy changes may ultimately be enacted. To that end, they requested a hearing Monday before agency staff, and it was there that a Wal-Mart representative elaborated the company's thinking.

Wal-Mart's new testing regimen follows cadmium standards set by the European Union, according to Peggy Fowler, the chain's senior director of product safety and regulatory compliance. She told agency staff that Wal-Mart wants U.S. regulators to devise a standard for acceptable cadmium levels as soon as possible — and that in the meantime, the company is working off the European model.

"We really wanted it to be done to affect product this year," Fowler told agency representatives. "We feel like it is our responsibility if we're going to have product on our shelves."

In the two weeks since Wal-Mart's testing went into effect, no product has failed, Fowler said. She did not say who conducted the tests or how many products have been subjected to them.

Product in stores right now isn't being tested under the new regimen, Fowler said; that type of working backward would be too difficult, she said, a point echoed by a representative of Target Corp.

The European Union is considering whether to toughen its standards, which the Consumer Products Safety Commission has suggested in their current form are not stringent enough.

"Simply to rely on another country's standard is not adequate," said Robert Howell of the agency's Office of Hazard Identification and Reduction. Agency staff must "be able to explain the rationale for the limits that they set."

One key difference between the European tests and those used by CPSC in recalls the agency has conducted since the AP's initial reporting in January is how long a piece of jewelry is bathed in a solution that mimics stomach acid. That test assesses how much cadmium would escape an item if a child swallowed it.

Fowler said longer tests, ranging from 24 to 96 hours, would pose too great a cost burden.

Wal-Mart isn't the only business turning to the European standards. In a separate meeting with agency staff, Michael Gale, executive director of the Fashion Jewelry Trade Association, said the trade group told its members to make and test most of their products according to those regulations.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100426/...wtbWFydHRvbGk-

Maybe if the US government would get out of the way, then the manufacturing of low cost items wouldn't be shipped overseas and the monitoring of safety protocols would be easier.

This is why the US has things like regulations. It costs more but we don't produce jewelry with cadmium or baby formula with melamine. When politicians want to cut regulations it is to make us more like China. Which practices a capitalism at all costs policy. Consiquently they can make stuff really cheap and if it kills people, too bad, not thier problem.

Feds expand scrutiny of kids' jewelry
By Justin Pritchard, Associated Press Writer 57 mins ago

LOS ANGELES – Federal regulators announced another recall of children's jewelry with high levels of the toxic metal cadmium Monday, also saying they've expanded their investigation in an effort to keep dangerous items off store shelves in the first place.

A spokesman for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission told The Associated Press its inspectors at 10 of the nation's largest ports are now screening children's jewelry — typically imported from China — for cadmium.

"Our surveillance and detection program has now been expanded" through the use of special guns that shoot X-rays into jewelry to estimate how much cadmium each item might contain, spokesman Scott Wolfson said.

Word of increased scrutiny came as the agency announced the voluntary recall of about 19,000 "Best Friends" charm bracelet sets made in China and sold exclusively at the jewelry and accessories store Claire's, which has more than 3,000 stores in North America and Europe.

Agency scientists confirmed independent test results that were reported by AP in January, which showed high levels of cadmium in the "Best Friends" bracelet.

The recall pertains only to such items previously sold at Claire's; several days after AP's initial investigation became public, the chain said it would immediately stop selling the item.

While the CPSC does not release its results, testing done for the AP revealed that bracelets sold at Claire's contained up to 91 percent cadmium by weight, and shed alarming amounts during a test that examined how much cadmium children might be exposed to if they accidentally swallow the charms.

"Cadmium is toxic if ingested by children and can cause adverse health effects," the agency said in its recall announcement. Medical research shows that cadmium in high levels is a known carcinogen and can harm kidneys and bones.

Consumers should take away from children the bracelets, which were sold for about $12, and return them to Claire's for a replacement or refund, according to the announcement.

The CPSC identified the manufacturer as Dae Yeon Industries Corp., of China.

As part of its announcement in January that it was pulling the item from store shelves, the chain released a statement saying the items were safe, but that the decision was made "out of an abundance of caution." On Monday, Claire's did not immediately respond to a request for comment, including why it had waited four months to agree to a recall for the "Best Friends" bracelets it had sold in the year before the AP story.

Monday's recall was the third prompted by AP's investigation. Before this year, no consumer product in the United States had been recalled because of cadmium.

Representatives of jewelry importers and manufacturers have rejected the idea that children's metal jewelry is unsafe. Michael Gale, the executive director of the Fashion Jewelry and Accessories Trade Association, has told several state legislatures that are considering strict limits on cadmium in jewelry that if those laws pass, it might be impossible to put any lower-priced children's jewelry on stores shelves where those laws apply.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100510/..._jewelry/print

Wal-Mart still selling Miley Cyrus cadmium jewelry
By Justin Pritchard 2 hrs 44 mins ago

LOS ANGELES – Jewelry from two entire lines being sold exclusively at Walmart stores nationwide, including bracelets and necklaces branded by Miley Cyrus, contains high levels of the toxic metal cadmium, according to an Associated Press investigation.

Testing of 61 samples purchased by AP reporters across the country from a Cyrus line and from a series of make-it-yourself metal bracelet charms indicated that 59 of the pieces contained at least 5 percent cadmium by weight, with 53 of those measuring 10 percent or higher.

And the world's largest retailer knows the items are tainted.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. received test results in February showing cadmium in these jewelry lines, but has continued selling the items.

Instead, Wal-Mart revealed in an April 26 statement that as of April 9, it was requiring suppliers to show through tests at a company-approved lab that children's jewelry and other kids' products had little cadmium — or else Wal-Mart would not accept the items for sale.

The policy did not apply to products already on store shelves. A Wal-Mart executive told a Consumer Product Safety Commission hearing that testing items already in stores would be too difficult.

In its only comment for this story, Wal-Mart said the Miley Cyrus jewelry was for "juniors," without defining that age range. Representatives for Miley Cyrus and BCBGMaxAzria did not comment when asked.

To judge the extent of the ongoing availability of pieces that Wal-Mart knew were contaminated, AP dispatched reporters throughout the country last month. They purchased any of 13 items matching those on the test results the company had in February. Those items came from two product lines: three were Miley Cyrus jewelry, a project done with designer BCBGMaxAzria; the other 10 were from a series of make-it-yourself metal bracelet charms.

The packaging said they were made in China; all were bought for $6 or less.

All but one of the 13 was on store shelves in the eight states where AP reporters looked.

At AP's request, the purchased items were then tested by Prof. Jeff Weidenhamer, a chemist at Ashland University in Ohio. He said the average cadmium content was 16 percent, and that the levels are probably higher. Weidenhamer's prior research has shown that the testing method he used — an X-ray gun that can roughly tell the amount of cadmium in an item — typically underestimates how much is present.

Representatives of the jewelry industry have argued that the presence of cadmium, even at high levels, is not by itself proof that an item is dangerous. The important thing, they say, isn't how much cadmium is in jewelry but rather how much can escape if the item is sucked, bitten or swallowed.

Cadmium in children's jewelry became a public concern in January when the AP published the results of an investigation that showed items at Walmarts — and other large chains — were as much as 91 percent of the toxic metal by weight. Federal regulators have since issued three recalls, including one affecting "The Princess and The Frog" movie themed pendants sold at Walmarts.

Long-term exposure to cadmium can lead to bone softening and kidney failure. It is a known carcinogen that recent research suggests can, like lead, hinder brain development in the very young.

While AP's January investigation focused on jewelry clearly intended for children, the items tested for AP this time were labeled "not intended for children under 14 years." That is an important legal distinction: Under current regulation, children's items are defined as for kids 12 and under, and children's products have all kinds of regulations that others do not.

Federal regulators' own research says that kids start becoming interested in making their own jewelry around age six or eight. As for products featuring Miley Cyrus — she is 17 and thanks to the "Hannah Montana" franchise, her appeal dips down to kids as young as five.

The importer of the charms for make-it-yourself bracelets, Cousin Corp. of America, said the jewelry was targeted at adults. Roy Gudgeon, vice president of merchandise at Florida-based Cousin, said that didn't mean high cadmium levels were acceptable.

"We recognize that many of our adult customers are homemakers who may have children present in their home," he said. "Our intention as a company is to never willingly cause harm to a child."

After checking company records, Gudgeon said that it had imported more than 300,000 of the charms that Weidenhamer tested. Shipment figures were not immediately available for the Miley Cyrus items.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100519/...NsawNwcmludA--

Tween Brands to limit toxic cadmium in its jewelry
Justin Pritchard, Associated Press – Tue Mar 22, 3:13 am ET

LOS ANGELES – In the first settlement of its kind, national jewelry seller Tween Brands Inc. will effectively eliminate the toxic metal cadmium from the bracelets, necklaces and other items it sells. The agreement covers jewelry sold in California, but given the size of the state's market, it becomes company policy nationally. It covers jewelry intended for children, teens and adults, expanding the age range from the preteen girls who had been the focus of concern after high levels of cadmium in jewelry surfaced over the past year.

Last July, Tween recalled about 137,000 pieces of jewelry that had been made in China due to unspecified high levels of cadmium. While test results from that recall have not been publicly released, some of the five other cadmium jewelry recalls orchestrated last year by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission involved pieces that were more than 90 percent cadmium, according to laboratory testing conducted for The Associated Press.

Under the agreement, starting in January 2012, Tween faces fines if it sells jewelry that is more than 0.03 percent cadmium — a background level that doesn't suggest the cadmium was intentionally added. A state judge still needs to approve the settlement, but that is almost never an issue in these cases.

The case against Tween was brought by the Center for Environmental Health, a California-based group that has long used the state's Proposition 65 to force companies to reduce levels of harmful materials in consumer products. The center said it hoped that the settlement, filed with California's attorney general Friday, would serve as a model for the 39 other retailers or jewelry suppliers against which it has filed cadmium actions over the past year.

The center's lawyers are still negotiating with a group of other companies. "Tween is really being a leader and doing the right thing," said Caroline Cox, the group's research director.

The center said that the jewelry that led to the case — which it bought in February 2010 at a Tween-owned store called Justice — was 69 percent cadmium.

Last year, California passed a law that limited jewelry to 0.03 percent cadmium content, but when it goes into effect in January, the levels only apply to jewelry for kids 6 and under. That law, as well as those in three other states, was enacted after an AP investigation revealed that some Chinese jewelry manufacturers were substituting cadmium for lead, the use of which Congress clamped down on in 2008 following a string of imported product safety scandals.

Cadmium is a soft, whitish metal that, if ingested over time, can damage the kidneys and bones; a large-enough single dose can kill. Cadmium also causes cancer, and some research suggests it can stunt the development of young brains.

Tween — which in the settlement denied any wrongdoing but will pay the state, the center, and its lawyers a total of $45,000 — issued a statement in response to questions posed by AP: "As a company, we are committed to working to ensure the well-being of our customers, and continue to work to ensure all of our products meet or exceed safety standards."

Meanwhile, the head of a trade group representing the jewelry industry said to expect a new, voluntary standard for cadmium limits in jewelry intended for children 12 and under by the summer. Under that standard, jewelry suppliers would screen items with an X-ray gun that estimates levels of various metals and any piece that registered more than 0.03 percent cadmium would be sent to a lab for more rigorous testing, according to Brent Cleaveland, executive director of the Fashion Jewelry and Accessories Trade Association.

The further testing would gauge how much cadmium escapes from the jewelry — as opposed to how much it contains — by simulating what would happen either if a child licks or swallows the jewelry and it is digested for 24 hours. Jewelry that failed acceptable exposure standards published by CPSC last fall would be in violation. Those standards still have to be decided by members of committees at the private-sector organization ASTM International, which sets voluntary industry safety standards for everything from medical products to toys.

That process should be wrapped up by July, said Cleaveland, who heads the ASTM subcommittee devising the standard.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110322/...lry_settlement

If Tween did the right thing - it would not have put cadmium in any of it's products in the first place. It is easy to do the right thing AFTER you get caught.

Just do not ever buy any of their stuff again, I just know down the line, after you forget, it will show up again.

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Shouldn't our government already be safeguarding that only imported products that aren't toxic be imported?

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Much respect to Tween for being ahead of the curve on safety and pledging to remove cadmium from it's products before legislation has been passed to limit the metal.

Tween cannot be blamed for the lax safety standards in China, toys made in the US or by responsible manufacturers are not economically feasible due to the massive price difference. Any company wishing to remain competitive *must* outsource manufacturing... and if that's your gripe then blame the politicians who create our trade policies.

China uses the cheapest materials available with no concern for safety. When lead was banned they moved to cadmium, when cadmium is banned they will move to some other questionable material... that's what we get for dealing with them.

Ideally we could create American manufacturing jobs by imposing trade restrictions and tariffs to make American products more competitively priced, but no one wants to pay more for these products, least of all the beleaguered consumer

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And we can't impose restrictions on our imports from China because?????