The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is screening imports from China for children's jewelry said to contain cadmium. Cadmium is a carcinogen and is highly toxic. Symptoms of cadmium exposure may start hours after the exposure and may include cough, irritation of the nose and throat, headache, weakness, dizziness, fever, chills, and chest pain. More prolonged exposure can result in poisoning the liver and kidneys with kidney failure. Kidneys can shrink and kidney damage due to cadmium is irreversible. There can be a loss of smell. Bones can also be affected, losing bone mineral density and causing risk of fracture and bone weakness. In extreme cases, mere body weight can cause fracturing of the bones.
There has been a voluntary recall of 19,000 "Best Friends" charm bracelets made in China. They have been sold at a chain of jewelry and accessory stores called "Claire's", found in many malls. There are over 3,000 Claire's stores. The jewelry contains high levels of a toxic metal - cadmium. Federal regulators are checking other imported jewelry from China to determine of there are other instances of the same metal being used for jewelry items for children. Children put jewelry or items they play with in their mouths.
If you know of anyone who has purchased jewelry at Claire's, please make them aware of this recall. In the U.S., toys, jewelry, and all consumer items are regulated and anything with cadmium or other known toxins is not allowed to be manufactured and sold. For some reason, imports from China and other foreign countries are not scrutinized as closely and they are making their way into our markets. There is one simple solution to this problem. It would go a long way to keeping our children safe and may even turn around our problems with employment and the economy. Look at labels and be aware. Buy American.
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