May 26, 2015

Bolinsky Supports Safer Health Standards For Children’s Jewelry

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HARTFORD- State Rep. Mitch Bolinsky (R-106) today supported a child safety measure on the maximum amount of cadmium allowed in children’s jewelry that is manufactured for sale in Connecticut or distributed in the state.

Under the legislation, the state Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) commissioner must require manufacturers and distributors to certify in writing, on a testing compliance form developed by the state DCP, that all children’s jewelry manufactured for distribution for sale in Connecticut was tested for cadmium using a total content test. To pass the test, the jewelry cannot have more than .03% (by weight) of cadmium.

The legislation was born out of a Cadmium Task Force formed last year and was given a public hearing in the General Law committee on proposed recommendations.

Bolinsky said, “This bill is a good safeguarding measure to protect our children from the hazards of cadmium-based pigments being used to decorate inexpensive children’s jewelry, usually imported from China. The fight to get heavy metals, which can cause developmental problems, cancer and bone loss in young children, out of consumer products began a long time ago with lead, which was used in much the same ways as cadmium is used today. It’s good to get another harmful material off the market!”

Additionally, the bill makes manufacturers and distributors who violate the cadmium limits subject to civil and criminal penalties. Anyone who manufactures for sale or distributes in Connecticut children’s jewelry with more than the allowable cadmium commits a class B misdemeanor (punishable by up to six months in prison, up to a $1,000 fine, or both). A subsequent violation, or one committed with the intent to defraud or mislead, is a class A misdemeanor (punishable by up to one year in prison, up to a $2,000 fine, or both), except the bill caps the fine at $5,000.

Lastly, the bill requires the DCP commissioner in consultation with the public health commissioner, to develop and provide to the public, on DCP’s website, information on the safety issues related to cadmium in children’s jewelry and any recommended precautions parents can take to reduce or eliminate the safety issues.

Cadmium is a natural metallic element found in the earth’s crust. The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services has determined that cadmium and its compounds are human carcinogens. Some animal studies indicate that the young (1) absorb more cadmium than adults and (2) are more susceptible than adults to bone loss and decreased bone strength from cadmium exposure.