subject: Governor Rell Bans Cadmium In Children's Jewelry [print this page] The Governor of Connecticut has signed a bill into law that will severely limits the amount of Cadmium that can be in children's jewelry that is sold in the state. "Beginning in 2014, the law prohibits children's jewelry containing cadmium of more than .0075 % by weight from being sold, offered for sale or distributed in Connecticut". Connecticut will be one of the first states to set such limits on Cadmium in consumer products including children's jewelry. In the past most efforts have been against Lead and Mercury, more visible and notorious toxic heavy metals. It has only been in the past year or so that Cadmium, a known carcinogen, has been brought to the public attention with the news that it has been found in high quantities in children's jewelry manufactured mainly in China.
Cadmium, while not nearly as well known as Lead or Mercury, it is a known carcinogen. It also has other detrimental health effects including softening of bones (since it replaces Calcium), lung cancer, prostate cancer, heart disease, anemia, autoimmune thyroid disease. It can also affect the lungs and kidneys when it is absorbed from cigarette smoke. Cadmium is mainly a product of manufacturing but can also be found in air pollution, batteries, ceramic glazes or enamels, cigarette smoke, water from tap and well, food (when grown in Cadmium contaminated soil), fungicides, fertilizers, mines, paints (like in the McDonalds Shrek glasses in the news recently), seafood and power and smelting plants.
This is great news for the citizens of Connecticut. Hopefully this law will go a long way in protecting consumers from the unseen dangers of Cadmium toxicity from consumer products. All states should adopt similar measures for all toxic heavy metals. There is NO need for toxic heavy metals to be in any consumer products or food items.
by: Patrick Hayes
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