y Katy Sweeny — Staff reporter
When I was growing up I had a number of best friends bracelets, necklaces and charms. I cherished those cheap pieces of jewelry for a time but at some point they would end up in the depths of a jewelry box, lost or even on the floor. I was the youngest, hardly ever babysat and was relegated to Galt, where baby cousins didn”t have the opportunity to risk all the choking hazards in my room. But had I known any of those charms contained dangerous levels of cadmium that, when swallowed, can cause cancer and harm the kidneys and bones, I would have taken more care to protect my family and dogs.
As far as I know, none of my jewelry contained unsafe levels of cadmium.
But girls today may not be so lucky. A consumer safety agency announced the voluntary recall of about 19,000 best friends charm bracelet sets made in China and sold exclusively at the jewelry and accessories store Claire”s, the Associated Press reported Monday. Claire”s has more than 3,000 stores in North America and Europe. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission expects more recalls.
“Testing done for the AP revealed that bracelets sold at Claire”s contained up to 91 percent cadmium by weight, and shed alarming amounts during a test that examined how much cadmium children might be exposed to if they accidentally swallow one of the charms,” the Associated Press reported.
Consumers are advised to take the bracelets away from children and return them to Claire”s for a replacement or refund.
A corporation in China, Dae Yeon Industries, manufactured the bracelets, the Associated Press reported. Claire”s said Monday that it stopped further shipments from the company. Before this year, no consumer product in the United States had been recalled because of cadmium.
“Within weeks of these reports, Claire”s Stores added procedures requiring all of its suppliers to test for cadmium in children”s jewelry, the company said in a statement. ?Claire”s Stores has taken significant steps to ensure that its products meet or exceed all existing safety standards and has responded swiftly and decisively to address the potential risk of cadmium in children”s jewelry,”” the Associated Press reported.
“Representatives of jewelry importers and manufacturers have rejected the idea that children”s metal jewelry is unsafe.
“Michael Gale, executive director of the Fashion Jewelry and Accessories Trade Association, has told several state legislatures that are considering strict limits on cadmium in jewelry that if those laws pass, it might be impossible to put any children”s jewelry on stores shelves where those laws apply.”
I”m sure the girls in those states can live without cheap jewelry. Maybe they can learn to make their own.
There may be few manufacturing regulations in China and no American federal law setting a cadmium-level standard; that”s no excuse for manufacturers to put poison in products for children.
Somewhere, someone made the decision to allow unsafe levels of cadmium in children”s jewelry. Instead of protecting children, the manufacturer put them at risk.
I admit that I, like many other people, have made decisions direct or indirect that hurt others. But as far as I know, I have never risked giving carcinogens to thousands of children.
These business people were more concerned with making money than creating a safe product.
Protecting others starts with one person making the right decision. I choose to do my best to protect the people around me. It seems as if some manufacturers will continue to take risks. But I dare them and everyone to help rather than harm.
Katy Sweeny is a staff reporter for the Record-Bee. She can be reached at kdsweeny@gmail.com or 263-5635, ext. 37.
