Big news today from all the national news agencies about a recently released study conducted by AP which had 103 children’s jewelry items tested for cadmium. Twelve percent of the items contained at least 10% cadmium. One piece contained an amazing 91 percent cadmium by weight!
Cadmium is a heavy metal and a known human carcinogen. It ranks number 7 on the CDC’s priority list of 275 most hazardous materials. Like lead, exposure to cadmium can hinder brain development in young children. Unlike lead, however, cadmium is not regulated in jewelry by any agency. There is speculation that some Asian manufacturers switched from using lead to cadmium because it is unregulated in the US jewelry market and is cheap and plentiful.
Toys and jewelry can be tested at our Seattle, WA laboratory for the major heavy metals including lead and cadmium. The laboratory performs destructive testing to determine the total content but can also test individual coatings for the presence of these heavy metals. Please contact our laboratory at laboratory@rgaenv.com or call for Dr. Aruna Turga, Lab Director at 206-956-3775 and she will be happy to help you get samples to our laboratory. Chain of Custody forms are available under the laboratory section of our web site at www.rgaenv.com.
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