The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced a voluntary recall of jewelry made in China that contains the toxic metal, Cadmium. The jewelry includes 19 styles of kids’ lockets, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, some containing the words Best, Friends or Forever and/or BFF, according to an article in the Columbus Dispatch. About 137,000 pieces of the jewelry were sold at Justice and Limited Too stores between November 2008 and February 2010 for about $7 to $16.
Cadmium is a toxic metal and a carcinogen that can hinder brain development in the very young and lead to kidney problems and bone softening. An independent third party laboratory had evaluated the jewelry styles at the time of their manufacture and determined they were in compliance. The problem is that the CPSC has no set standard for cadmium. It is currently under development.
The manufacturer, Tween Brands, acknowledged the lack of a standard in a press release, but conceded that the levels were so high they would be out of any possible standard for safety. The Associated Press in January did a series of reports that found some of the kids’ jewelry had up to 91 percent cadmium. The CPSC has since confirmed the findings.
Consumers affected by the child product recall can take the jewelry back to the stores for a full refund or you can contact Tween Brands at 1-800-934-4497.
