How many headlines have we seen - Children's Jewelry Recalled Because of Lead - or words to that effect. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) website offers the following:
* Wal-Mart Recalls Charm Key Chains Due to Risk of Lead Exposure. 4/18/08. 12,000 units involved in this recall.
* Wal-Mart Recalls Additional Charm Key Chains Due to Risk of Lead Exposure. 6/19/08. About 39,000 units involved in this recall, in addition to 12,000 previously recalled.
* Horse Toy Figures Recalled by Blip Toys Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard. 1/26/10. About 15,000 units. Sold at Wal-Mart from 1/2009 through 7/09.
* Children's Toy Jewelry Sets Recalled by Playmates Toys; Charms Violate the Total Lead Standard. 2/2/10. About 252,000 Tiny Tink and Friends Children's Toy Jewelry Sets. Sold at various retailers 11/08 through 11/09.
* FAF Inc. Recalls Children's Necklaces Sold Exclusively at Walmart Stores Due to High Levels of Cadmium. 1/29/10. About 55,000 units involved in this recall.
* CPSC Issues Warning on Children's Winter and Holiday-Themed Charm Bracelets with High Levels of Cadmium. 3/11/10. Rudolph-the-Red-Nosed-Reindeer charm bracelets sold at discount and dollar-type stores 2006 to March 2009. Number of units involved unknown as importer of these goods from China has gone out of business.
Why does it take the CPSC and state attorneys general to discover that products being sold for children contain toxic materials at unsafe levels? When Wal-Mart and other chain stores consider selling a product for children, do they not test the product to see if it contains toxic chemicals or toxic materials at unsafe levels? Where is the headline about how these products got on the store shelves in the first place? Who looked at these products to see if they were safe or toxic? Or did the retailers who offered these items to us to buy for our children, did they just look the other way?
The effects of lead on children are well known. It causes anemia, muscle weakness, brain damage and learning difficulties; it can also affect mental and physical growth. www.atsdr.cdc.gov./tfacts13.html
The effects of cadmium are lung damage, fragile bones, and possible kidney damage. Cadmium is a human carcinogen. It is used in batteries, pigments, metal coatings, and plastics. www.atsdr.cdc.gov./tfacts5.html
Mothers and fathers with young children don't have the time, energy, or resources to test every item they buy for their children. Anyone with young children knows there is not enough time in the day for everything, and sometimes it is hard to even read all the warnings on children's items. Large retailers know this. If a parent goes to a store and finds a toy on the shelf, she thinks it is safe if there is no warning on the packaging. When the warning comes months and months later in a headline or a CPSC recall announcement, it begs the question - who is minding the store?
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