Have you ever noticed how October tends to have such a spooky focus each year? So much of the beauty of autumn is overshadowed by ghosts and goblins, costumes and candy. Like it or not, I’m jumping on a creepy bandwagon, too, for the next few weeks. It just seems like the perfect time to write about all sorts of scary things that seem to be stranger than fiction. (Last week I kicked off the month with three posts about lice you can read here, here and here.)
Since autumn is a prime time for dressing up in costumes, it’s important to know what’s dangerous for children – particularly little girls’ costume jewelry.
Now that my daughter is getting old enough for dressing up, it’s very tempting to buy cute and cheap children’s jewelry. But whenever I’m ready to choose something from the toy department, I remind myself that they are incredibly dangerous.
In 2004, a 4-year-old swallowed a metal charm that was made almost completely of lead. Four days later the child died. Since that child’s death, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled more than 180 million units of metal jewelry. 1
What’s lead got to do with it?
In 1977, the Federal Hazardous Substances Act banned the use of lead-based paint. Before that, lead was commonly used in children’s toys. Lead continued to be used, particularly in painted toys, costume jewelry, and some metal toys, until the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 banned all lead from children’s products.
Even though lead-based paint is banned, it’s still found in toys made by both small and large toy manufacturers. In the past couple years, toys by well-known brands Fisher-Price, Infantino, and Little Tikes have been recalled due to lead-based paint violations.
Lead is so dangerous because, as a heavy metal, it can damage the central nervous system, which affects brain development, lowers IQ, and causes behavioral problems. Lead poisoning also can cause seizures, comas, and death. It’s particularly harmful for children because it affects their brains at critical development stages. 2
Dangerous deception
Since the ban on lead-based paint, manufacturers are getting more creative – and toxic – with the heavy metals they put in their cheap paint and jewelry.
In 2010, cadmium was brought to the public’s attention after several recalls, including 55,000 metal necklaces from Walmart and Claire’s and 12 million Shrek glasses from McDonald’s, were contaminated by the toxic heavy metal. 3
Cadmium is much more toxic than lead, yet it’s not regulated in children’s jewelry or paints – the CPSC has only banned antimony, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, and selenium. 4
Cadmium poses a threat to children because it leaches off of a product onto children’s hands. When the children put their hands in their mouths, they swallow the metal. The heavy metal stays in human bodies and is a carcinogen; it harms brain development in small children and also increases the risk of kidney disease and reproductive problems. 5
What’s a parent to do?
The best way to avoid lead or cadmium poisoning in children is to avoid any cheap metal or plastic costume jewelry.
If children already own cheap jewelry, parents should take it away. And, new cheap jewelry shouldn’t be given to children. Is that tough for little girls who love playing dress up? Of course. But their health and safety is more important than toxic jewelry.6
Some safe alternatives for jewelry include genuine gold or sterling silver jewelry. Or, you could try making your own jewelry with your daughter – string wood beads to make necklaces and bracelets. Younger children might enjoy painting pasta and stringing it on yarn.
Beware of making homemade beads out of polymer-based clay, though. While the beads may look cool, they’re made of PVC and phthalates – two ingredients that shouldn’t be near children.
Sources
1. “Guide for Parents: The Dangers of Heavy Metals in Children’s Jewelry.” Inez Tenenbaum. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Jan. 13, 2010.
2. “Toxic Hazards. Toy Safety.” U.S. PIRG.
“Keeping Kids Safe from Toys Contaminated with Lead.”
“Lead Poisoning in North Carolina.” North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
3. “Children’s Necklaces Recalled Due to High Levels of Cadmium.” Consumer Product Safety Commission Blogger. Jan. 29, 2010.
“McDonald’s recall puts spotlight on cadmium’s dangers.” Sarah Schmidt. The Vancouver Sun. June 4, 2010.
4. “Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. Frequently Asked Questions.” U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
5. Sarah Schmidt. “McDonald’s recall puts spotlight on cadmium’s dangers.” Sarah Schmidt. The Vancouver Sun. June 4, 2010.
“Toxic metal found in kids’ jewelry very dangerous.” Justin Pritchard. Associated Press. The Alliance Review. Jan. 11, 2010.
“The Dangers of Cadmium in Children’s Jewelry.” Kristie Leong. Associated Content. Jan. 22, 2010.
6. “The Dangers of Cadmium in Children’s Jewelry.” Kristie Leong. Associated Content. Jan. 22, 2010.
“Children’s Necklaces Recalled Due to High Levels of Cadmium.” Consumer Product Safety Commission Blogger. Jan. 29, 2010.
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Hilary Kimes Bernstein is a Christ follower, wife, mama, and journalist. She writes about making healthy decisions that honor God and happen to help the environment at Accidentally Green. Short and sweet - like her writing - Hilary is the author of several healthy living eBooks.
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Several years ago, there was a recall for certain wooden Thomas trains because of lead. Well, we had one that was listed, so we sent it back as instructed. They sent us a replacement train for our trouble. Ironically (and I still can’t get over this!), the replacement train they sent was recalled for lead a month later!
I don’t get it. Why aren’t toys (or all products, for that matter) tested BEFORE they go on store shelves? Why is it always after they’ve been distributed?! Don’t you think it would be cheaper and easier for companies to catch things early enough so that they wouldn’t have to pay for a costly recall? If they are being manufactured overseas, it should be a standard procedure to test them before distribution.
Funny, I have a blog post coming in November about the safety standards and processes in toy manufacturing. I completely agree with you Bethany – tests and standards need to be instituted BEFORE the toys are on shelves. Yet sadly, it’s just not the case.