Lead spurs recall of kids’ jewelry
By Sheryl Jean
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Seattle Times, United States
FORT WORTH, Texas — More than 500,000 pieces of children’s jewelry are being recalled for excessive levels of lead paint after a dozen retailers, including Michaels Stores, Big Lots and Family Dollar Stores, agreed to a settlement with the New York state Attorney General’s Office, federal and state officials said Wednesday.
Michaels does not have to pay a fine, through some of the others retailers will, including Big Lots, which agreed to pay a $1,000 penalty under the settlement.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recall includes 29 jewelry items, including a total of 200,000 pieces sold at 950 Michaels Stores. The items, such as butterfly charms and toggle bracelets, were supplied by Pure Allure in Oceanside, Calif.
Despite recent recalls of millions of hazardous and lead-contaminated children’s jewelry and toys, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and national consumer groups urge parents to be diligent over the holiday season because unsafe items remain on store shelves. Lead can be toxic and can cause developmental problems in children.
Michaels previously carried more than 300 Pure Allure jewelry items but began removing most of them when company officials first learned of Cuomo’s investigation, said Chris Mumma, a spokesman for Michaels. The retailer will continue to carry some Pure Allure products and other jewelry, he said.
As part of the New York settlement, Michaels has agreed to remove and test 62 related items, such as metal jewelry clasps, and 200 other items, not just jewelry, and to discontinue sales if they’re found to have an unsafe level of lead.
In the past several months, New York authorities randomly tested 200 products and found that some contained more than 1,000 times the federal safety standard for lead. Under current regulations, children’s products found to have more than 0.06 percent lead are usually subject to a recall, in which the company must reimburse consumers for the value of the product, provide a replacement or offer a repair.
Most of the jewelry with excessive levels was made in China, though some items came from Thailand and India, said John Milgrim, a spokesman for Cuomo’s office. Other items contained no manufacturing information, he said.
The New York Attorney General’s Office tipped off the safety commission about its findings. That resulted in recalls of more than 150 million items of lead-laden children’s jewelry in the past two years, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
The other companies settling with Cuomo are:
• A Dollar will pay a $500 penalty.
• Buckwholesale.com will pay $10,000.
• Colossal Jewelry and Accessories will pay $8,000.
• Dollar Days International will pay $5,000.
• Grand 99 Cent Store in New York.
• Ming 99 Cent City.
• Pure Allure will pay $10,000.
• Quality 99 Cents.
• The $ Limit will pay $1,000.
• Yankee One Dollar will pay $1,000.
Material from The Associated Press is included in this report.
