Wal-Mart and Claire’s have pulled Chinese-made children’s jewelry suspected to have been made with cadmium.
The decision to two of American’s largest retailers of costume jewelry comes on the heels of an investigation by the Associated Press which found some products contained dangerous levels of the toxic metal.
Lab tests conducted for the AP on 103 pieces of low-priced children’s jewelry on sale in the U.S. found 12 items with elevated levels of cadmium, which can hinder brain development in young children, according to recent research, and is known to cause cancer.
Twelve items had cadmium levels of at least 10 percent by weight. One piece had 91 percent, and others contained more than 80%. The government has no restrictions on cadmium in jewelry.
The findings of cadmium contamination come on the heels of a string of product quality scandals in 2007 that caused Congress in 2008 to ban toys and other kids products that contain lead — another dangerous and once commonly used material. Cadmium is even more harmful.
