Kid’s Cadmium Jewelry Still in Markets

Two years after the discovery that some Chinese factories were substituting cadmium for banned lead in children’s jewelry, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has done little to keep tainted bangles, baubles, and beads off the market.

The Associated Press (AP) reports that no recalls have been pursued by federal regulators and no warnings were issued to alert consumers to the presence of contaminated items in their homes. In fact, unsafe kids’ jewelry is still freely available in some stores.

No injuries or deaths related to cadmium in jewelry have been reported but the metallic element can severely harm the kidneys and bones if it builds up in the body and it can cause cancer. The CPSC says that thousands of children accidentally ingest jewelry and end up in the hospital every year.

The CPSC told the AP it is doing what it can with the limited resources allocated to it, a fact that can be substantiated by the declining prevalence of contaminated jewelry in markets.

A spokesman attributed the agency's focus on intercepting tainted jewelry before it got onto shelves as the reason that trinkets with cadmium did not appear in households as much as lead ones did several years ago.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by an unsafe product, contact Sokolove Law today for a free legal consultation and to find out if a product liability lawyer may be able to help you.

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