The U.S. jewelry industry has agreed to voluntarily limits on the amount of the toxic metal cadmium in children’s necklaces, bracelets and rings sold in this country.
But The Associated Press reports that the cap, which follows more than a year of cadmium-related jewelry recalls and legal setbacks, comes with a catch: It’s intended as a way to press the handful of states that already have approved tough anti-cadmium laws to back off of those requirements.
The industry’s goal is to replace the current array of state laws, and safety requirements followed by major retailers, with a single standard. The proposed rules already have been approved by ASTM International, which sets voluntary standards for various goods.
In response to an AP investigation, last year the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission worked with businesses to recall 300,000 items of children’s jewelry, much of it made in China, containing high levels of cadmium. Some of that jewelry was more than 90 percent cadmium and would release what the AP called “alarmingly high” levels of the toxic metal in stomach acid if swallowed. Cadmium is a known human carcinogen and also is linked to other health problems.
Children’s jewelry would meet the new standard if the items contain no more than 0.03 percent cadmium. Jewelry that exceeds that level would need to clear follow-up tests evaluating whether the items release cadmium after being swallowed or licked.
The 0.03 percent limit is in line with the requirements of a recent legal settlement reached between the Oakland-based Center for Environmental Health and the Target and Gap retail chains.
In a written statement, Inez Tenenbaum, head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, called the new cadmium standard for children’s jewelry “a positive step forward,” but also urged the ASTM to finish writing its rules for limiting cadmium in toys.
Still, the jewelry industry is likely to face stiff resistance in getting states with tough requirements to accept a less stringent business-backed standard. A Connecticut lawmaker said if her state were to allow jewelry with cadmium levels that are four times higher than current law, it would “raise some eyebrows.”
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