Lead in Jewelry - A Hazardous Material

Lead is a hazardous material that can cause severe damage in humans if absorbed at high levels, especially in children. Obviously, children under 6 years are those that are at higher risk for lead poisoning because they are in the peak age of growth. Lead can be absorbed by the body when inhaled, ingested, or in a small number of cases, even absorbed through the skin. If the body absorbed high levels of lead, especially the children, their effects can cause decreased bone and muscle growth, damage the nervous system, speech problems and neurological problems in general.

Lead in jewelry was viewed very seriously in 2004, when the State of California filed a lawsuit against the major jewelry stores, claiming that these jewelry retailers were against Proposition 65, a law implementing was "conceived by its authors to protect California citizens and drinking water sources of the State of chemicals that can cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm, and to inform the public about exposure to these chemicals. "

While the jewelry is not the main source of lead exposure, the danger of lead poisoning in jewelry can occur when children chew or swallow pieces of jewelry containing high levels of lead. The piercing jewelry, like earrings or body jewelry, obviously, are of greater risk such as a necklace or bracelet.

In order to protect children from exposure to lead in costume jewelry, Bill 1681 was enacted into law by the State of California September 1, 2007 stating that "prohibits a person from March 1, 2008, manufacturing, shipping, selling or offering for sale jewelry for retail sale in the state, unless the jewelry made entirely of the specified materials. The law also prohibits any person , from September 1, 2007, adopting such measures with respect to children's jewelry, as defined, unless the children's jewelry is made of specific materials. The bill also prohibits a person, from March 1, 2008, manufacturing, shipping, selling, or offering to sell the jewelry of body piercing, as defined, for retail in the state, unless are made of specified materials. "Any person who owns or operates a jewelry in the State of California must post warning signs and complies in his tent, an example of that signal would be:

Certificate of Compliance with California law on jewelry containing lead

We, manufacturer name, certify that the complete description of the jewelry in question contains no lead level that would ban the sale or offer for sale of the jewelry in accordance with Article 10.1.1, Chapter 6.5, Division 20, Code of Health and Safety California [sections 25214.1 - 25214.4.2]. Internet stores are not exempt from this law. California Proposition 65 requires that online jewelry store or other establishment in line note to clients of any jewelry that contains lead.

Lots of jewelry, especially the fancy jewelry is made in China, a country known for lax oversight of the components and materials such as sulfur gases in the Chinese drywall, tainted dog food, contaminated milk and hazardous components in toys. So how do we know that the jewelry is made in China is safe, what are the security levels of lead and how we can use this free jewelry anxiety to get lead poisoning? Well, the answer is not easy, fortunately jewelry retailers and online stores do their due diligence in compliance with the law, but by day's end, we are all at the mercy of the truthfulness and sincerity in making the jewelry, hoping that they comply with legal components and jewelry manufacturing standards. You can find more information on lead in jewelry on the website Narok.