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Kmart Removes 'Lead-Free' Jewelry

Tests find high levels of lead in many samples

By Truman Lewis
ConsumerAffairs.com

November 17, 2007    Spanish
Kmart is removing all jewelry marked "lead-free" from its shelves.

Why? Well, because many of the supposedly lead-free pieces tested turned out to have high concentrations of lead. One charm reportedly was 52 percent lead.

So far, all of the contaminated pieces, including matching earrings and necklaces, have been cheap costume jewelry carrying the Accessories brand.

In March, United Imports Inc. recalled some Accessories brand children's jewelry and in June, silver-stud Accessories earrings sold at Kmart were recalled, because of high lead levels.

The Kmart incident follows a series of recalls of cheap jewelry, imported toys, pet products and other items contaminated by high lead levels. Lead is toxic in high doses and can cause mental retardation in children.

A two-year federal investigation has reportedly found dangerous levels in 20 percent of children's jewelry.

Lead in children's jewelry is especially dangerous, since children frequently chew on, and even swallow, small items. Ingesting lead can lead to seizures, respiratory failure and death.

About 20,000 children were been treated in hospitals between 2000 and 2005 because they swallowed jewelry, health records indicate.

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It's not just cheap imported toys that have been affected. Giant toymaker Mattel Corp. has recalled more than a million Fisher-Price toys because they were painted with lead-based paint.

Worst Toys

Fisher-Price's "Go Diego Go" animal rescue boat tops the 10 Worst Toys of 2007 list assembled by a Boston consumer group. It was subject to a recall in October because of potential lead ingestion injuries.

“There is simply no excuse for the sale of toys containing known poisons such as lead. Research has shown that exposure to this neuro-toxin can have serious long-term effects, particularly for children,” WATCH said in a statement.

“The alarming number of recent toy recalls is evidence of an industry that has put profits before child safety,” WATCH said in a statement.

“Many of the recalls issued were the result of lead and small parts violations— both hazards are well known by manufacturers and have no place in children’s products. Yet, toxic toys with excessive lead content accounted for at least thirty toy recalls, representing over five million units, since W.A.T.C.H.’s 2006 '10 Worst Toys' conference.”

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