The vast majority of the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission recalls for lead in children’s jewelry since 2003 were for China-made items. The others were made in India. Last year 5.600.300 units produced in China were recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in the first seven months alone.
CPSC says 20,000 children were treated in emergency rooms from 2000 to 2005 after swallowing jewelry. The number doesn’t include choking incidents. A 4-year-old boy died last year after swallowing a charm that was 99% lead.
According to USA Today, Guo LiSheng, a deputy director general in China’s Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, said they agree with the U.S. that children’s health and safety need to be protected but they believe putting warning labels on the jewelry “may be more efficient than setting the limit of lead content.”
“To buy any kind of jewelry from China can be dangerous—the prices may be cheaper, but is it worth the health risk involved?” asks the Web site for 925SILVER4U.com, which specialized in selling wholesale silver jewelry.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, children may ingest unsafe levels of lead after putting jewelry in their mouths, even briefly. There can also be a cumulative risk if children are also exposed to lead in their homes or drinking water.
Lead poisoning is known to lower IQ, cause learning disabilities, brain damage and may lead to kidney or liver disease.
