Pretty, shiny and a major health risk: How scientists have found high levels of dangerous chemicals in costume jewellery.
The saying goes, 'beauty is pain' but now, according to recent scientific studies, accessorising with cheap costume jewellery can actually be dangerous. After running a series of tests on a variety of low-cost jewellery items targeted at youngsters, non-profit environmental safety organisation, The Ecology Center, found alarming levels of harmful chemicals in their composition. Lead, cadmium, chromium, mercury and arsenic among other highly toxic chemicals were detected in over half the 99 items taken from branches of Claire's, Forever 21 and H&M and other retailers.
Fatal attraction: Scientists have found high levels of toxic metals in cheap high street jewellery targeted at children that have dangerous health implications The health issues linked to these substances in past tests on animals and humans include acute allergies, birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity and cancer.
Jeffrey Weidenhamer, Ph.D, Professor of Chemistry at Ashland University, a leading national researcher on metals in jewellery collaborated with the Ecology Center on the study. Using X-ray fluorescence they identified which metals were present in the items and found consistently high levels of one or more toxic chemical. Of the 99 pieces tested, 25 per cent contained levels of lead over 300 parts per million which exceeds the Consumer Product Safety Commission's limit of lead permitted in the manufacturing of children's products.
Lies: Pieces that claim to be lead free contained alarming levels of carcinogenic cadmium and some were made almost entirely of lead despite the label.
Dr Weidenhamer told CBS: 'It ends up in the jewellery because it's cheap, it's easy to melt, it makes nice heavy pieces of jewellery and in fact we've found in a lot of the pieces we've tested that are 95 per cent lead by weight, that the alloy composition is almost identical to what you'd find in lead acid car batteries.'
Furthermore, ten per cent of the items contained known carcinogen cadmium, most likely because there have been no restrictions on its use. According to Dr Weidenhamer, the biggest worry is that children put the necklace pendants and rings in their mouths, chipping and wearing away the thin protective coating.
Over time, the levels of cadmium or lead to which a child could be exposed this way is 'quite dangerous', he said.
Expert: Scientist Jeffrey Weidenhamer, Ph.D, said the main worry is that children erode any thin protective coating by mouthing pendants and other items
Despite statements issued from retailers like Target and Walmart claiming that all jewellery sold is tested according to federal regulations, the researchers found that in some stores pieces labeled 'lead free' were made entirely of lead.
Jeff Gearhart, research director at the Ecology Center said: 'There is no excuse for jewelry, especially children's jewelry, to be made with some of the most well studied and dangerous substances on the planet.
PROMINENT HARMFUL CHEMICALS AND THEIR EFFECTS
LEAD
Exposure To Lead Paint From Costume Jewelry
Unfortunately, lead and lead-based paint are common materials used in the construction of popular costume jewelry for both adults and children. This type of jewelry can be very harmful because of its close proximity to the skin – believe it or not, just wearing lead-tainted jewelry against the skin can cause damage to internal organs. Lead-tainted children's jewelry is not allowed on the market because of the harm it can cause children who are exposed to it, but every year some pieces of children's costume jewelry makes it past inspections and into the market, and therefore into people's homes.
It is impossible to tell by looking at the jewelry, or by its brand name or retailer, if that piece of jewelry contains lead or not. So it is advised that parents avoid giving children under the age of six any type of jewelry made with costume metals or fake pearls, because there are no guarantees that these products are lead-free, even when ‘lead-free’ is listed on the packaging. Lead fillers and coating on costume jewelry can pose a threat to children who might put the jewelry into their mouth.
China continues to violate regulations regarding lead-containing costume jewelry. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has imposed restrictions on China for importing children's jewelry into the United States and causing damage to children. Instead of banning the importation of metal jewelry, China is trying to negotiate with the United States in order to be allowed to indicate with a sticker or label which jewelry contains some lead.
In the year 2005, about one hundred and fifty million pieces of children's metal jewelry were recalled by the United States government for lead level violations.
Lead poisoning is a very serious matter. Lead can cause nervous system damage, stunted growth, hearing loss, and delayed development. It also affects every organ system of the body, but primarily the kidneys, causing extensive kidney damage. It can also damage the reproductive systems of both women and men.
www.legalinfo.com
The saying goes, 'beauty is pain' but now, according to recent scientific studies, accessorising with cheap costume jewellery can actually be dangerous. After running a series of tests on a variety of low-cost jewellery items targeted at youngsters, non-profit environmental safety organisation, The Ecology Center, found alarming levels of harmful chemicals in their composition. Lead, cadmium, chromium, mercury and arsenic among other highly toxic chemicals were detected in over half the 99 items taken from branches of Claire's, Forever 21 and H&M and other retailers.
Fatal attraction: Scientists have found high levels of toxic metals in cheap high street jewellery targeted at children that have dangerous health implications The health issues linked to these substances in past tests on animals and humans include acute allergies, birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity and cancer.
Jeffrey Weidenhamer, Ph.D, Professor of Chemistry at Ashland University, a leading national researcher on metals in jewellery collaborated with the Ecology Center on the study. Using X-ray fluorescence they identified which metals were present in the items and found consistently high levels of one or more toxic chemical. Of the 99 pieces tested, 25 per cent contained levels of lead over 300 parts per million which exceeds the Consumer Product Safety Commission's limit of lead permitted in the manufacturing of children's products.
Lies: Pieces that claim to be lead free contained alarming levels of carcinogenic cadmium and some were made almost entirely of lead despite the label.
Dr Weidenhamer told CBS: 'It ends up in the jewellery because it's cheap, it's easy to melt, it makes nice heavy pieces of jewellery and in fact we've found in a lot of the pieces we've tested that are 95 per cent lead by weight, that the alloy composition is almost identical to what you'd find in lead acid car batteries.'
Furthermore, ten per cent of the items contained known carcinogen cadmium, most likely because there have been no restrictions on its use. According to Dr Weidenhamer, the biggest worry is that children put the necklace pendants and rings in their mouths, chipping and wearing away the thin protective coating.
Over time, the levels of cadmium or lead to which a child could be exposed this way is 'quite dangerous', he said.
Expert: Scientist Jeffrey Weidenhamer, Ph.D, said the main worry is that children erode any thin protective coating by mouthing pendants and other items
Despite statements issued from retailers like Target and Walmart claiming that all jewellery sold is tested according to federal regulations, the researchers found that in some stores pieces labeled 'lead free' were made entirely of lead.
Jeff Gearhart, research director at the Ecology Center said: 'There is no excuse for jewelry, especially children's jewelry, to be made with some of the most well studied and dangerous substances on the planet.
PROMINENT HARMFUL CHEMICALS AND THEIR EFFECTS
LEAD
- The impact of even the smallest traces of lead on brain development in children includes irreversible learning and developmental problems leading to lower IQ scores, delayed learning and shorter attention spans
- The EPA has listed lead as a probable human carcinogen
- Cadmium is classified as a known human carcinogen, associated with lung and prostate cancer
- Cadmium exposure is associated in animal studies with developmental effects, including possible decreases in birth weight, delayed sensory-motor development, hormonal effects, and altered behavior
- Exposure to cadmium can result in bone loss and increased blood pressure
- Acute toxicity from ingestion of high levels of cadmium can result in abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and death
- Acute toxicity from inhalation of high levels of cadmium can result in symptoms similar to metal fume fever and severe gastroenteritis from high levels of cadmium ingestion
- Laboratory studies indicate that Cr (VI) may cause birth defects, and reproductive problems particularly in males
- Higher levels of exposure have caused asthma attacks and nasal irritation in people
- All forms of mercury can affect the kidneys
- Organic, inorganic, and metallic mercury are toxic to the nervous system, each affecting different regions of the brain
- Young children are more sensitive to mercury and may be exposed to mercury via the mother’s body to the fetus or through breast milk
- Inorganic arsenic is a known human carcinogen
- There is strong evidence that it is linked to lung, skin, and bladder cancer
- Inorganic arsenic may also cause skin irritation, skin color changes, blood disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and hormone disruption
- Preliminary data suggest that inorganic arsenic may interfere with normal fetal development and cause deficits in brain development and intelligence
- Preliminary studies have correlated type 2 diabetes with low-level arsenic consumption, implying that drinking low levels of arsenic may lead to type 2 diabetes
Exposure To Lead Paint From Costume Jewelry
Unfortunately, lead and lead-based paint are common materials used in the construction of popular costume jewelry for both adults and children. This type of jewelry can be very harmful because of its close proximity to the skin – believe it or not, just wearing lead-tainted jewelry against the skin can cause damage to internal organs. Lead-tainted children's jewelry is not allowed on the market because of the harm it can cause children who are exposed to it, but every year some pieces of children's costume jewelry makes it past inspections and into the market, and therefore into people's homes.
It is impossible to tell by looking at the jewelry, or by its brand name or retailer, if that piece of jewelry contains lead or not. So it is advised that parents avoid giving children under the age of six any type of jewelry made with costume metals or fake pearls, because there are no guarantees that these products are lead-free, even when ‘lead-free’ is listed on the packaging. Lead fillers and coating on costume jewelry can pose a threat to children who might put the jewelry into their mouth.
China continues to violate regulations regarding lead-containing costume jewelry. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has imposed restrictions on China for importing children's jewelry into the United States and causing damage to children. Instead of banning the importation of metal jewelry, China is trying to negotiate with the United States in order to be allowed to indicate with a sticker or label which jewelry contains some lead.
In the year 2005, about one hundred and fifty million pieces of children's metal jewelry were recalled by the United States government for lead level violations.
Lead poisoning is a very serious matter. Lead can cause nervous system damage, stunted growth, hearing loss, and delayed development. It also affects every organ system of the body, but primarily the kidneys, causing extensive kidney damage. It can also damage the reproductive systems of both women and men.
www.legalinfo.com
