Cheap-o jewelry sold at Walmart, Claire's and at NY-area dollar-stores contains a dangerous metal that could harm children, according to recent investigations. After Chinese toys were outed for containing lead last year, overseas manufacturers were forced to find different building blocks for their products. Some settled on cadmium, a metal that is extremely toxic, even in low doses. And kids don't even have to swallow the jewelry to see its ill effects!
"They can get persistent, low-level doses by regularly sucking or biting jewelry with a high cadmium content," says the AP report. The investigation showed that out of 103 pieces of costume jewelry it bought at stores in New York, Ohio, Texas and California 12 contained at least 10% cadmium, which like lead, can cause brain damage in young children.
Cadmium poisoning can also be caused by smoking and can lead to flu like symptoms sometimes called "the cadmium blues." The metal is seventh on the CDC's most hazardous substances list. Exposure at high levels causes cancer.
