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LOS ANGELES – Jewelry containing toxic metal, cadmium, is appearing on the shelves of national retailers, including Ross, Nordstrom Rack and Papaya, according to recently released test results.
An analysis conducted for the nonprofit Center for Environmental Health found that some jewelery sold in women's dresses and shirts were almost pure cadmium, which can lead to cancer and reproductive disorders after prolonged exposure.
Consumer advocates were hopeful that cadmium had disappeared from the US jewelery market as a result of an Associated Press investigation in 2010 that revealed that Chinese manufacturers were using the metal to make children's jewelery. States, including California, banned the presence of cadmium in children's jewelery, and tests conducted by the center revealed that this chemical had virtually disappeared from jewelry in 2012.
However, there is no law dealing with cadmium in adult jewelery. Last year, the center decided to check these products. Laboratory tests revealed that at least 31 jewelery purchased in retail stores were composed of at least 40% cadmium and most of more than 90%, according to results reported exclusively to the AP.
California law does not allow more than 0.03% cadmium in children's jewelery. The precise risk to the health of the jewels tested is unclear, as the researchers did not determine whether small amounts were paid during the handling and wear of the jewels.
Over time, cadmium accumulates in the body and can damage the kidneys and bones. Most exposures occur by ingestion of small amounts or by inhalation, mainly through tobacco, which may contain cadmium. The researchers also documented some absorption by skin contact, although the phenomenon has not yet been studied.
Michael Harbut, a physician and researcher as a university professor, studied the carcinogenic properties of cadmium. He said contact could trigger rashes, including psoriasis.
"Cadmium is bad," said Harbut, a professor at the College of Human Medicine at Michigan State University. "If I had the choice between wearing something containing cadmium or wearing something without cadmium, I would take the product without cadmium."
The non-profit association of Oakland has purchased all the test samples in the San Francisco Bay Area this year or last year. The degree of presence of contaminated jewelry in stores elsewhere is not clear, although a national retailer generally does not limit a product to a single region.
The center said the problem should not be underestimated because of the limited number of market samples.
"If you are the person who buys and wears these jewels, you do not really care about whether there is a common problem or a rare problem," he said. Caroline Cox, senior scientist at the center. "You have a problem."
Brent Cleaveland, executive director of the Commerce Association of Jewelry and Fashion Accessories, said that he did not think the test results suggest a more serious problem. Most major retailers have a rigorous system to test and analyze what they sell, he said.
Most of the contaminated items were sold to Ross, which operates more than 1,400 stores in 38 states. According to tests, a pendant necklace chain was made of 100% cadmium.
In a written statement, Ross stated that he was committed to protecting his customers and had "solved this problem with our supplier". The retailer would not say he's removed suspect jewelry from the stores.
Brands found with high levels of cadmium in Ross stores include Tacera and Vibe Sportswear.
Xinwei Xie, president and CEO of Trend Textile Inc., owner of Tacera, declined to comment when he was contacted by phone. Skate Group Inc., owner of Vibe Sportswear, has not responded to several requests for comments.
Papaya said he considers cadmium in his products as a serious problem. It operates more than 100 retail outlets across the country.
Steven Kim, a lawyer representing Papaya, said the company had recalled the contaminated products and stopped buying from the manufacturer in China.
"Our manufacturers are required to declare and guarantee that their products comply with the law," said Kim. "The papaya is very strict and stops doing business with any manufacturer that does not comply."
Nordstrom spokesperson Emily Sterken said the company "is reaching out to these vendors to inform them of the situation and get more information on these products."
The Center for Environmental Health has long used California law to force companies to reduce levels of harmful materials in consumer products, including cadmium and lead in jewelery.
Under state proposal 65, companies must inform consumers of significant exposures to chemicals that cause cancer or other reproductive disorders. The non-profit organization settled claims under Proposition 65 against 36 companies, including Gap Inc. and Target Corp., which had agreed not to sell jewelery containing more than 0.03% cadmium.
This limit for children's jewelry came into effect after the announcement by the AP in 2010 that some Chinese jewelry makers were replacing lead with cadmium, which Congress put a severe end to following the A series of scandals regarding the safety of imported products.
The jewelery industry has contributed to the development of voluntary US standards following the AP investigation, but the US Consumer Product Safety Commission has not imposed a cadmium limit.
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