Lead in Children's Jewelry
Overview
Some jewelry marketed for young children has been found to contain dangerous amounts of lead – a neurotoxin that can cause severe illness and even death at high doses and cognitive impairment and other neurological problems at lower doses.
In 2006, the Health Department issued a Regulatory Action on Lead in Children's Jewelry and began purchasing and testing children’s jewelry products for lead content. The regulation provided clear guidance and a timeline for manufacturers and distributors to meet the City’s standard of 600 parts per million.
Subsequently, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission published new, more stringent standards on permissible lead content in children’s products. As of August 14, 2009, children’s jewelry with metal components containing in excess of 300 ppm of total lead is banned. The permissible level will drop to 100 pm on August 14, 2011.
The Health Department will conduct routine testing of children's jewelry each month and post the results of those tests on this webpage.
2011 Notices
5/18/2011Testing Reveals Items of Children’s Jewelry with Excess Lead
The Baltimore City Health Department has issued a violation notice to two businesses prohibiting the sale of two children’s jewelry products that were identified with a lead level in metal components above 300 parts per million (ppm). The Consumer Product Safety Commission has been alerted to the most recent findings. [5/18 Press Release (PDF)]
4/28/2011Testing Reveals Items of Children’s Jewelry with Excess Lead
The Baltimore City Health Department has issued a violation notice to two businesses prohibiting the sale of two children’s jewelry products that were identified with a lead level in metal components above 300 parts per million (ppm). The Consumer Product Safety Commission has been alerted to the most recent findings. [4/28 Press Release (PDF)]
4/05/2011Testing Reveals Items of Children’s Jewelry with Excess Lead
The Baltimore City Health Department has issued a violation notice to two businesses prohibiting the sale of two children’s jewelry products that were identified with a lead level in metal components above 300 parts per million (ppm). The Consumer Product Safety Commission has been alerted to the most recent findings. [4/5 Press Release (PDF)]
Regulatory Action on Lead in Children's Jewelry
Jewelry Lead Test Results
- August 2010 [Press Release]
- April 2010 [Press Release]
- December 2009 [Press Release]
- February 2009 [Press Release]
- December 2008 [Press Release]
- November 2008
- October 2008 [Press Release]
- September 2008 [Press Release]
- August 2008 [Press Release]
- July 2008
- June 2008
- April 2008 [Press Release]
- January 2008 [Press Release]
- December 2007 [Press Release]
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007 [Press Release]
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007 [Press Release]
- April 2007
- March 2007 [Press Release]
- February 2007 [Press Release]
- Summer 2006 [Press Release]
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