Why Won't the EPA Ban Toxic Lead in Children's Jewelry?

Staffers at the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) have recommended their agency enact a ban on all children's jewelry -- made in America or imported -- on using more than .06 percent of lead by weight (close to 1 ounce per 100 pounds).

The call for a lead ban comes at a very opportune time, considering yesterday's recall of some 50,000 children's necklaces made by Illinois-based Really Useful Products and a lawsuit filed in federal court earlier this fall by the Sierra Club against the EPA to compel the agency to reduce lead levels in similar toys (essentially the same steps as advocated by the CPSC).

I wouldn't dismiss the notion young children in your neighborhood haven't been exposed to high-level of lead in play jewelry: The CPSC has issued 14 recalls of more than 160 million pieces of children's jewelry just in the past three years. Also, in its infinite wisdom, the EPA rejected an earlier petition by the Sierra Club for a lead ban, dancing around the issue by claiming not to have the ability to regulate toy jewelry.

By the way, lead is only one of five toxic metals you and your family must avoid, especially in heretofore unexpected places like processed chocolate.