Toy Safety Concerns: Highlight Cadmium
Last month I was interviewed by Good Morning Texas about toy safety. Toy safety is a year around issue, and it is especially timely before and after the biggest toy giving holiday of the year, Christmas. As many people know, lead paint in toys is a major safety issue. I told the Good Morning Texas viewers about lead hazards in toys and children’s jewelry. I also mentioned a super website, www.toysafety.mobi where parents can go to check the safety ratings of every toy they’re buying.
Children who ingest lead are known to suffer from harmed cognitive development. Children often regularly suck or chew on jewelry, toys, pendants, and charms. These glittering imports almost inevitably trace back to China. The Chinese have been barred from using lead paint in children’s jewelry and toys because it causes harm to children who ingest it. The Chinese are now using cadmium in the charm bracelets and shiny pendants sold across the United States in stores like Wal-Mart, Claire’s, and Dollar N More.
Cadmium is known to be more toxic to children than lead. Both lead and cadmium are known carcinogens. A recent Associated Press investigation showed that of 103 children’s jewelry purchases in November and December 2009, 12% of the pieces contained dangerous amounts of cadmium. Various items like the “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” charm bracelet, the “Best Friends” bracelet, and “The Princess and the Frog” necklaces, were purchased from retail stores across Texas, New York, Ohio, and California. Those items all contained levels of cadmium deemed dangerous by Bruce Fowler, a cadmium specialist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There are currently no safety standards that govern the amount of cadmium in toys, charms, and children’s jewelry. It appears as if it is time to set some new limits on Chinese imports that contain cadmium.
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