Thread: Toxic metal found in kids' jewelry very dangerous

Toxic metal found in kids' jewelry very dangerous
AP



By JUSTIN PRITCHARD, Associated Press Writer Justin Pritchard, Associated Press Writer – Sun Jan 10, 2:26 pm ET

Cadmium is a soft, whitish metal that occurs naturally in soil. It's perhaps best known as one half of rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries, but also is used in pigments, electroplating and plastic.

Lab testing organized by The Associated Press shows that it also is present in children's jewelry — sometimes at eye-popping levels exceeding 90 percent of the item's total weight.

Most people get a microscopic dose of the heavy metal just by breathing and eating. Plants, including tobacco, take up cadmium through their roots and people absorb it during digestion or inhalation. Without direct exposure, however, people usually don't experience its nasty side: cancer, kidneys that leak vital protein, bones that spontaneously snap.

Cadmium is particularly dangerous for children because growing bodies readily absorb substances, and cadmium accumulates in the kidneys for decades.

"Just small amounts of chemicals may radically alter development," said Dr. Robert O. Wright, a professor at Harvard University's medical school and school of public health. "I can't even fathom why anyone would allow for even a small amount to be accessible."

Recent research by Wright found that as cadmium exposure increased, kids were more likely to report learning disabilities.

Dr. Aimin Chen of the University of Cincinnati's medical school also has studied how cadmium affects young brains. While lead is the heavy metal most associated with harming cognitive development, Chen has concluded that cadmium lowers IQ even more than lead — though cadmium isn't harming the average American child because the typical exposure is not as large as lead.

Scientists don't know how much cadmium it takes to kill a child. The only child's death attributed to cadmium that AP found was a nearly 3-year-old boy from Toronto. According to a case study published in 1994, an autopsy showed his brain had swollen; the researchers concluded his exposure came from items around his home such as paint pigments, batteries or cadmium-electroplated utensils.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100110/ap_ ... lry_health

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Toxic metal found in kids’ jewelry from China
DEC. 17, 2009 -- Jeff Weidenhamer, professor of chemistry at Ashland University, holds a
DEC. 17, 2009 -- Jeff Weidenhamer, professor of chemistry at Ashland University, holds a "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" charm he is testing for cadmium in Ashland, Ohio. (AP)
By JUSTIN PRITCHARD
ASSOCIATED PRESS
01/11/2010

LOS ANGELES — Barred from using lead in children’s jewelry because of its toxicity, some Chinese manufacturers have been substituting the more dangerous heavy metal cadmium in sparkling charm bracelets and shiny pendants being sold throughout the United States, an Associated Press investigation shows.

The most contaminated piece analyzed in lab testing performed for the AP contained a startling 91 percent cadmium by weight. The cadmium content of other contaminated trinkets, all purchased at national and regional chains or franchises, tested at 89 percent, 86 percent and 84 percent by weight. The testing also showed that some items easily shed the heavy metal, raising additional concerns about the levels of exposure to children.


Cadmium is a known carcinogen. Like lead, it can hinder brain development in the very young, according to recent research.

Children don’t have to swallow an item to be exposed — they can get persistent, low-level doses by regularly sucking or biting jewelry with a high cadmium content.

To gauge cadmium’s prevalence in children’s jewelry, the AP organized lab testing of 103 items bought in New York, Ohio, Texas and California. All but one were purchased in November or December.

The results: 12 percent of the pieces of jewelry contained at least 10 percent cadmium.

Some of the most troubling test results were for bracelet charms sold at Walmart, at the jewelry chain Claire’s and at a dollar store. High amounts of cadmium also were detected in “The Princess and The Frogâ€

ENOUGH! I swear to God we will not buy another Chinese piece of crap for children!

W