| After a massive recall
of in 2004, CPSC revealed the details of hazard
assessment procedure in children’s metal jewelry.
The first methodology is used to determine the total
lead content of a jewelry item or component. It
will be used as a screening test for purposes of
the Interim Enforcement Policy issued by the Office
of Compliance on February 3, 2005. The second methodology
is an acid extraction test. It is used to quantify
the amount of lead that may migrate from jewelry
and result in human exposure through ingestion.
CPSC staff recommends that children not ingest
more than 175µg of accessible lead.
Meanwhile, they evaluated the data on total lead
content and acid extractable lead obtained from
analysis of children’s metal jewelry. The
staff determined that jewelry items that contained
greater than 0.06 percent lead (600 parts per
million) were associated with an increased likelihood
of a result greater than 175 µg lead in
the acid extraction test, while items containing
0.06 percent lead or less were not associated
with acid extraction results greater than 175µg.
To reduce the risk of hazardous exposure to lead,
the Commission requests manufacturers to eliminate
the use of lead that may be accessible to children
from products used in or around households, schools,
or in recreation. The Commission also recommends
that, before purchasing products for resale, importers,
distributors, and retailers obtain assurances
from manufacturers that those products do not
contain lead that may be accessible to children. |
