Effort underway to reduce cadmium in children's jewelry

In 2010-2011 alone, hundreds of thousands of children’s jewelry products have found their way to the trash compacter before they were able to adorn the young children they were created for. That’s because they contained significantly high levels of cadmium, a chemical that is a known human carcinogen, and has been linked to other health problems, as well. Although there is not yet a federal standard for cadmium limits in children’s jewelry, many U.S. states have enacted their own strict limits. The diversity among these state standards has created headaches for jewelry manufacturers who must either meet the strictest standard and sell their jewelry in all US states, or limit the states in which they want their products to be marketed. Certainly such a choice has a dramatic impact on both small and large businesses in the current economy.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has received several petitions from consumer advocate groups demanding that this nation’s leading authority on consumer product safety address the rising concern about cadmium in jewelry.  CPSC, who is heavily burdened under the weight of executing the many new requirements defined by Congress through the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA), has struggled to attend to this issue as expeditiously as many consumer advocates would like. Although CPSC has continued to enforce recalls on cadmium-laden jewelry sets where discovered, mandated regulatory compliance seems necessary to dam the stream of hazardous jewelry products that often arrive at U.S. ports from foreign manufacturers like China.  

Photo: Cici Crib

The United States jewelry industry has recently agreed to set limits on the amount of cadmium that can be used in children’s necklaces, bracelets and rings that are intended for sale in the USA.  In reality, the jewelry manufacturers have little option but to do something to address this volatile consumer concern.  The industry has set the limit of cadmium at no more than 300ppm (0.03 percent by weight).  Any piece that exceeds that limit would be subject to more extensive testing before it could be sold in the marketplace. This limit reflects the limits set in several recent settlements with large retailers like Target Corporation. However, it is much higher than those set by Illinois (75ppm) or Connecticut (40ppm).

It may be that the industry is hoping that by taking this voluntary stance on cadmium safety in jewelry they would convince states that have stricter cadmium standards to take a step back on their newly enacted laws and grant the industry some grace.  But consumer groups and retailers are not likely to feel warm and fuzzy about lowering their existing expectations.

In response to the many consumer group petitions they have received, CPSC Commissioners have now tasked two specific groups with this responsibility  ASTM International, a well-respected standard-setting organization in the USA, has been given three months to develop and finalize voluntary cadmium safety guidelines in jewelry and toys.  If ASTM is able to publish a voluntary standard within that three-month time frame (December 16, 2011), the CPSC staff would then review those voluntary guidelines to assess whether they should become mandatory. CPSC would need to complete their assessment and make their recommendations no later than June 16, 2012 (nine months after September 16, 2011).

It is yet to be seen if ASTM can meet this very ambitious timeline, or if CPSC will need to pick up the baton.  In the meantime, all well-informed consumers would be wise to ask the retailer for documentation on the lead and cadmium content in the jewelry purchase being considered for young children. They won't have it, of course, but it is this kind of consumer demand that forces retailers to participate in the safety of our children, and not always play dumb. While it is smart to completely forgo this vanity-driven accessorizing of young children, those who indulge should be aware of the dangers to which they may be inadvertently be exposing their children The biggest risk is found in jewelry for little ones who tend to mouth, lick or swallow small parts.  Tongue studs or lip rings for older teens also carry a significant exposure risk.