The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a report this week calling for limits to the amount of cadmium that toy and jewelry manufacturers can include in their products. Cadmium fumes can lead to lung disease.
There has been a steady stream in recent months of recalls of toys and jewelry that have toxic levels of cadmium. Retailers from McDonalds to Dress Barn and Claire’s Boutiques have been involved. The report indicates that swallowing even small amounts of cadmium is harmful to children. And as all parents know, small children will put any toy or piece of jewelry into their mouths.
The CPSC says that once cadmium is ingested, it can remain in the body, especially in the kidneys and liver, for years.
