Japan Recently Discovers High Lead Content in Children’s Jewelry Imported from China, South Korea, and Taiwan
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(Photo: VNN) |
The aforementioned items are highly dangerous to health if children swallow or continuously chew on these objects. Recently, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government issued this warning. According to the Tokyo authorities, when exposed to acid similar to gastric juice, some children’s jewelry can release lead at levels 56 times higher than the permissible concentration according to U.S. safety standards.
In February 2005, the United States established safety standards for metal jewelry intended for children.
Lead is a toxic metal that can cause brain damage, especially in young children.
In the United States, there have been cases of children experiencing growth delays and other issues after accidentally swallowing metal jewelry.
The Tokyo authorities tested 76 children’s jewelry products, including rings, necklaces, hairpins, earrings, and mobile phone straps. Most of these items were imported from China, South Korea, and Taiwan.
Lead is a chemical element in the periodic table abbreviated as Pb (Latin: Plumbum) with an atomic number of 82. Lead is a soft, heavy, toxic metal that can be shaped. Lead appears white-blue when freshly cut but begins to tarnish to a gray color when exposed to air. It is used in construction, lead-acid batteries, ammunition, and is part of many alloys. |
As a result, 46 products, approximately 60% of those tested, contained lead levels exceeding the U.S. safety limit of 0.06%. Among the 32 products, lead content was higher than 50%, more than 800 times the permissible level in the United States.
One hairpin released 9,900 micrograms of lead, which is 56 times the maximum allowable limit set by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
In light of this situation, the Tokyo government is calling for regulations on jewelry while warning consumers.
Previously, Japan had only established safety regulations regarding lead content in food and tableware, with no regulations concerning lead levels in jewelry.
Minh Thương (The Asahi Shimbun)
