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Keeping Your Kids Safe from Lead Jewelry   En espaņol Don't allow lead to become part of your holiday! Take Action: Send a message to protect children from dangerous toys Watch our cartoon, Happy Holeadays. Put a Happy Holeadays badge on your page or site! Lead is in More than Just Paint Chips What You Can Do to Protect Your Children What the Sierra Club is Doing to Protect Your Children For More Information about Lead Poisoning and Children In the News Heart-shaped charm bracelet that is the subject of a voluntary recall announced March 23, 2006 by Reebok International Ltd. and the Consumer Product Safety Division. Nearly 300,000 young American children have blood lead levels high enough to cause irreversible damage according to the Centers for Disease Control. Every one of these cases is avoidable. While many young children have been affected by lead from paint in older homes, other children are being exposed to the toxin through toys, especially toy jewelry, they love. These toys are identifiable and should not be purchased, played with, or even produced. Every child is at risk for exposure to toys containing lead. Every parent needs to take important steps to keep their kids out of harm's way. What You Can Do to Protect Your Children Know what stores, suppliers, and manufacturers have said no to lead. Go to the Center for Environmental Health website to get the latest list of companies that have agreed to reformulate their products. Avoid purchasing toys from vending machines. In 2004, 150 million pieces of children's jewelry were recalled from vending machines nationwide. To be safe, parents should avoid these products. Avoid toys which have small parts which may be swallowed, especially if the parts are metal or metallic. Avoid glossy, fake painted pearls which may be painted with lead-paint. Test suspect jewelry. LeadCheck swabs are available at most local hardware stores and can be used to test for lead in products you may purchase for your child. Swabs turn pink when lead is detected. You can also order test kits online. Check your child's toys. These toys may contain lead. If they do, remove them from your child's toy box and dispose of them. See photos of a sample of products which have tested positive for lead. For more information about disposing of lead contaminated toys, contact your local municipality. Get your child tested. Lead poisoning can generally not be detected any other way. Regular testing will ensure the health of your child. Ask retailers about their toy jewelry and ask them if they have documentation that the jewelry does not contain lead. Let them know that you are concerned if they don't have documentation. Stay vigilant. Sign-up to receive e-mails from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) about new product recalls. For past recalls of kid's products click here. How Does Lead Affect Young Children? The primary danger to young children from lead poisoning is brain damage. This can result in lower IQ levels, hyperactivity, developmental delays, and aggression. Lead can kill. In February 2006, a child in Minnesota died after ingesting a piece of toy jewelry. Lead is a soft, naturally occurring metal and can be found in contaminated soil, water, old paint, inexpensive jewelry, and other consumer products. There is no safe level of lead for children. Children are generally exposed to lead by eating dust or soil contaminated by old lead-based paint or by swallowing or mouthing contaminated objects. Children six and under are particularly vulnerable to lead contamination. Two-year olds tend to have the highest levels of contamination because of their instinct to put objects in their mouth. Brain damage from lead cannot be reversed, but blood lead levels can be lowered to prevent further damage and early intervention can help to reduce long term effects. The best treatment is to remove the source of lead from the child. Parents should discard or avoid consumer products that contain lead. For More Information about Lead Poisoning and Children: Lawsuit: Sierra Club Takes Action to Protect Children from Lead Exposure CLEARCorps Center for Environmental Health: Lead in Children's Jewelry Center for Environmental Health: Protect your child from Lead Poisoning Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry November 4, 2007: New York Times Editorial: Playing Games With Toy Safety On October 18, 2007 the Sierra Club testified at the request of the Environment and Public Works Committee of the U.S. Senate Chair's request. This hearing made it even more clear to the public record that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has acted only when pressured by the Sierra Club to do so. >> Read the full testimony. >> Senator Boxer's opening comments October 18, 2007: Sierra Club Press Release Safe Toys for Our Children: Congress Investigates Toxic Lead in Children's Toys & Consumer Products July 25, 2007: Sierra Club Press Release Sierra Club Takes the Next Step in Protecting Kids from Lead Poisoning April 16, 2007: Sierra Club Press Release Sierra Club, EPA Take Serious Steps to Protect Kids from Toxic Toys     Photo courtesy Consumer Product Safety Division. Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club