MJSA agrees with proposed cadmium limits

Send Date: 2011-05-16 20:53:59

Source: Staryee

MJSA agrees with proposed cadmium limits

On Wednesday, Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America announced it had voted in favor of the proposed Children’s Jewelry Safety Standard developed by the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) F15.24 Subcommittee on Children’s Jewelry.

The proposed standard would establish a 300 parts per million (ppm) total weight cadmium screening limit for children’s jewelry, both fine and fashion, with children defined as those ages 12 and under. If the cadmium content tests above the 300 ppm level then it has to undergo a second round of testing that involves either a migration test to determine how much cadmium might leach out if the piece was swallowed or a saline test, which simulates what would happen if a child puts the jewelry in their mouth. The extracted cadmium would not be allowed to exceed 200 micrograms in the migration test or 18 micrograms in the saline test.

MJSA is one of a number of organizations on the children’s jewelry subcommittee. Votes on the 300 ppm standard currently are being tabulated and reviewed. If ultimately approved by the ASTM, the 300 ppm standard would be adopted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the federal agency that regulates product safety in the United States.

Cadmium levels in children’s jewelry rose to the forefront after a January 2010 Associated Press article revealed that overseas jewelry manufacturers were using high levels of the toxic metal in children’s jewelry. The news caused stores such as Walmart and Claire’s Boutiques to pull certain pieces of children’s jewelry from their shelves and has led to the passage of cadmium regulations in Minnesota and Illinois.