Industry Urges National Lead Safety Standard for Children's Jewelry

The U.S. fashion jewelry industry today urged the adoption of a tough, science-based national lead safety standard for children's jewelry.

In testimony prepared for the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, Fashion Jewelry Trade Association (FJTA) executive director Michael Gale asked that the government embrace the lead content safety standard currently recommended by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and prescribed by California law in 2006.

The standard sets a limit of no more than 0.06 percent for any component going into children's jewelry. Platings on children's jewelry, such as nickel, silver and gold, block access to lead in the product's base metal.

Gale also strongly advocated that the national standard be preemptive, thus superseding state or local laws.

Addressing the main topic of the hearing, "Protecting Children from Lead- Tainted Imports," Gale outlined a program to bring foreign manufacturers into compliance, which he hopes to see mandated nationally.