If swallowed or put in the mouth, lead jewelry is hazardous to children. In 2003, a 4-year-old child swallowed a piece of jewelry bought from a vending machine. The child became ill because the jewelry was made of lead. The potential for children to be exposed to lead from this source caused the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to issue on July 8, 2004, a recall of 150 million pieces of metal toy jewelry sold widely in vending machines.
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Last updated: 08/31/2007
In 2006, there was a death of a child from acute lead poisoning after ingestion of a heart-shaped metallic charm containing lead. The charm had been attached to a metal bracelet provided as a free gift with the purchase of shoes manufactured by Reebok International Ltd. On March 23, 2006, a voluntary recall of 300,000 heart-shaped charm bracelets was announced by CPSC and Reebok.
What to do if I believe my child has put lead jewelry into his/her mouth
See your health care provider. He or she can perform a blood test to see whether your child has been exposed to lead and if so recommend treatment. Most children with elevated blood lead levels do not have any symptoms. However, there is no safe level of lead in blood. As blood lead levels increase, lead has a larger effect on children’s learning and behavior. A blood lead test is the only way you can tell if your child has an elevated lead level.
Effects of wearing toy jewelry
Just wearing toy jewelry will not cause your child to have a high level
of lead in his/her blood. However, small children often put things in their mouth. If you have a small child in your household you
should make sure the child does not have access to jewelry or other items that may contain lead.
How to obtain more information about recalls
The CPSC asks that parents search their children’s toys for metal jewelry and throw it away. Photos of the jewelry and more information on the recall can be obtained from the visting the
CPSC
website or 1-800-638-2772. The CPSC also has a
new
policy addressing lead in children's metal jewelry.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA 30333, U.S.A
Tel: (404) 639-3311 • CDC Contact Center: 800-CDC-INFO • 888-232-6348 (TTY)
