Lead in Toy Jewelry

Marc Lifsher, Leslie Earnest, and Victoria Kim at the LA Times have this story on the lead found in toy jewelry across California:

Stores across California have pulled lead-tainted children's jewelry from their shelves after state investigators found bracelets, rings and necklaces contaminated with as much as 600 times the legal limit of the poisonous element.

The discovery, coming after Mattel Inc. and other manufacturers of toys and novelty items recalled millions of lead-laced toys, bibs and lunchboxes made in China, rattled parents and retailers alike.

...All of the products had lead levels that outstripped the legal state limit of 600 parts per million....

...Gorsen said her inspectors visited a cross-section of stores in California after the law took effect Sept. 1, buying 375 children's jewelry items.

About one-third of the items purchased had excessive levels of lead, the state agency said. It released a list of 15 lead-tainted items found at 11 stores in Los Angeles, Sacramento, Oakland, Glendale, San Francisco, Roseville and Chula Vista.

Shell Culp, a spokeswoman for the agency, said an agreement between state Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown and other companies whose products tested positive for excessive levels of lead prevented a full release of information about all stores that had been selling lead-tainted jewelry.

For the items that were disclosed, lead contents ranged from a low of 686 parts per million in a barrette-bracelet set at a Dollar Tree store in Rancho Cordova, a Sacramento suburb, to a high of 368,000 ppm in a necklace with pendant that was a prize in a gumball machine in a Church's Chicken eatery in Oakland.

In Southern California, inspectors said they purchased lead-laced bangles at three stores in the Glendale Galleria: Macy's, GapKids and Sanrio Surprises, best known for its "Hello Kitty" paraphernalia. The lead content in items at these stores ranged from 2,140 to 47,500 ppm.

Ingesting even minute amounts of lead can cause developmental defects and serious health problems, especially in children. The new state law bans the sale of children's jewelry with lead content of more than 600 parts per million....

...Regulators declined to say where the jewelry was manufactured. Industry experts said that most such items are made in China, India and Southeast Asian countries as well as in Mexico and Caribbean nations....

...Several retailers made public statements Wednesday. Gap Inc., for instance, said it pulled the necklaces -- chains with three-leaf pendants -- from stores across the country six weeks ago....

...Mark Luhn, who has operated Jeffrey's Toys in San Francisco for about three decades, said to his knowledge he had never stocked the Molly 'N Me necklaces that state regulators said they purchased at the store. But he said he pulled all children's necklaces anyway....

...Party City, whose Chula Vista outlet sold a Best Friends Two Bracelets that the state found to be lead-tainted... TJX Cos. said it was "diligently investigating the issue" of an allegedly tainted necklace and bracelet set sold at one of its Marshalls stores... "The retailers need to start taking this more seriously," Margulis said. "They've known about this problem for at least three years, and these pieces are still on the shelves. They should be penalized for lack of action."...