China, Jewelry & Lead

If you are purchasing jewelry made in China, you need to be aware of the risk it poses to your children. China refuses to acknowledge United States standards for lead content, as it finds the .06% by weight limit imposed by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission as unreasonable. The Chinese government feels the level of lead which can seep from items such as charms and painted trinkets harmless to small children, despite the cumulative damage of lead poisoning. So far this year, over 6 million pieces of jewelry manufactured in China have had to be recalled on 17 different occasions, and at least one child has died from swallowing a charm containing high concentrations of lead.

In addition, you should be aware that jewelry containing lead crystal - such as that made by Swarovski* - should not be purchased for wear by children or for mothers with babies, as babies will often put necklaces in their mouths as they are being held. Even tiny amounts of lead can be poisonous to babies and small children, and the effects of lead poisoning are cumulative, which means the amount of lead one's body absorbs can build up with each additional exposure.

Products made in China account for the vast majority of recalls issued by the CPSC each year, so please check the label for country of manufacture before you buy anything that will come into contact with your children, be it the jewelry you wear or toys your children play with. As well, it is prudent to ask before you buy from jewelry artists in this country where they get their materials and whether or not the components contain lead. It's a big world out there. Let's all try to be safe.

* it should be noted the Swarovski company in no way suggests its product is safe for small children; I only use it as an example because most people are familiar with it.