Is is true that almost any cheap jewelry made in china can be harmful for my child?

It is true that this January, 2010, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission just put out a warning to parents about cheap children's jewelry. According to the warning, any cheap China-made jewelry could contain hazardous levels of heavy metals, including cadmium and lead which are potentially hazardous to your child's health. Reports say that cadmium, which has most likely been used to replace lead, is just as toxic and potentially dangerous.Cadmium intoxication is linked to breast cancer, bone disease, kidney disease, brain defects and pulmonary disease, however, most experts have added that real intoxication and worrisome exposure can only come from inhaling cadmium fumes, or sucking/chewing on cadmium. Some parents have decided that they don't want to take any chances and will throw out all of their children's cheap China-made toys and jewelry. Other parents, mostly of older children, have said that the warning is a bit extreme. Their children don't eat or suck on the jewelry, and therefore, they aren't so worried about the children being exposed to any real danger. It seems that the real issue here is young children who may play with the jewelry while unsupervised and gnaw or chew on the pieces. If your children are 5 and 8, make it very clear to them that they are not to do anything with the pieces other than wear them. Now, with your five year old, you may want to go a bit further in your restriction, but I would say that an 8 year old should be old enough to understand your concern and worry. Once you inform them of the risks, they may even want to throw the pieces out their selves. One way to go about getting rid of their jewelry, if that is what you want to do, is making a new jewelry-making project for the three of you where you make macaroni, cloth and safe bead jewelry once a week to replenish and refresh the old stuff.

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