I can’t think of many things worse than selling toy jewelry made of lead to children. But that’s just what goes on throughout the country. Children are sold lead-filled trinkets as promotional items or in vending machines and stores, reportedly in “dollar store” operations in immigrant communities in particular, but also in major retail outfits, like Wal-Mart.

Last February, a four-year-old Minnesota boy died of lead poisoning after he swallowed a heart-shaped charm from a bracelet distributed by Reebok International. When the Chinese-made bracelets were recalled and tested, they were found to be 90 percent lead.

The Sierra Club has sued the Environmental Protection Agency in federal court to try to force the agency to use its power to do something to protect children from lead in toy jewelry.

“Common sense says it’s crazy to sell toys that young kids put in their mouths out of material known to be very harmful to children,” said Jessica Frohman, chair of the National Toxics Committee for the Sierra Club, which filed its case in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. “EPA has the authority to correct this problem and it is irresponsible for them to sit passively on the sidelines.”

In the meantime, the Sierra Club has some tips on protecting your kids from lead toys:

• Find out which retailers have agreed to stop selling lead jewelry at the Center for Environmental Health. (Note that these retailers agreed to say no to lead in California, but are believed to be lead-free now nationwide.)
• Don’t purchase toy jewelry from vending machines.
• Avoid toys with small parts that may be swallowed, particularly if they are metallic and may contain lead.
• Get some lead check swabs at a hardware store to test suspect toys and jewelry. (I’d never heard of these!) If your hardware store doesn’t have them, check www.leadcheck.com. Remove lead-positive toys from you home and dispose of them per your local laws.
• Check out this page for some pictures of items that have tested positive for lead, including jewelry sold by Disney and Hot Topic.
• Ask retailers for their policies on lead in toys and for documentation that they do not carry lead jewelry.
• Get your child tested for lead poisoning regularly.

Lead poisoning can cause irreversible brain damage in a child. This leads to lowered IQ and developmental delays. It can also lead to hyperactivity and aggression. Severe lead poisoning can lead to death. The younger the child, the more vulnerable. There is no safe amount of lead for a child to ingest.

Good for the Sierra Club.

(Via Our Descent Into Madness.)

Posted by MommaSteph.