WARNING: Low-Cost Jewelry Tainted With Lead
Fox 8 News WJW, OH
Before recalls of tainted toys, an Ashland University chemistry professor began sounding the alarm about jewelry contaminated with lead.
Dr. Jeffrey Weidenhamer launched a class experiment with students in spring of 2006. They were shocked at the results. Of 20 items tested, 14 had high concentrations of the metal. They tested another 150 items and found most exceeded U.S. government standards for lead. That standard for products intended for children is .06% lead by weight.
“Most of the items had at least double and some over a thousand times recommended levels,” says Weidenhamer.
The research involved low cost jewelry items purchased from dollar type stores throughout central Ohio. Most were imported from China.
Weidenhamer notified the Consumer Product Safety Commission. He says the agency has recalled three items.
The professor and students are now testing several dozen more jewelry items recently pulled from store shelves. But Weidenhamer says he’s already dreading the results.
“Initial screening tells us there is a considerable amount of lead in the samples,” Weidenhamer says.
Young children, especially those under the age of three face severe neurological damage from lead accumulating in their bodies. The risk comes from licking or ingesting products containing lead.
