CEH Says 26 More Jewelry Retailers Agree to 300 ppm Cadmium Limit
The Center for Environmental Health announced that on September 2, 2011, a California Superior Court approved a legal agreement between CEH and 26 more jewelry retailers and suppliers, setting a new strict limit on cadmium in jewelry.
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(The first such agreement on cadmium was reached in March 2011 between CEH and the jewelry retailer, Tween Brands, which operates 890 “Justice” stores geared to young girls. See ITT’s Online Archives or 03/23/11 news, 11032317, for BP summary.)
26 Jewelry Retailers to Implement 300 ppm Nationwide Cadmium Limit Dec 31
The agreement calls for jewelry sold by the companies1 to contain no more than 0.03% (300 parts per million) of cadmium by December 31, 2011. According to CEH, the companies are also going beyond California law in agreeing to instruct their suppliers to provide them with reformulated jewelry on a nationwide basis.
Companies to also Pay $1M to Fund Compliance Testing, CEH Work
The settling companies have also agreed to a total payment of $1.03 million, which includes payments to the State of California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, funds for testing jewelry for compliance to the agreement, funds for CEH's ongoing work to educate and protect Californians from toxic health hazards, and payments to help defer CEH's legal expenses.
CEH Says Industry Hindering ASTM Work by Pushing "Leachable Cadmium" Approach
CEH adds that while it advocates a “total cadmium” approach, industry opponents have hamstrung the ongoing ASTM standards setting processes for cadmium in jewelry and in toys by arguing for what CEH believes is the more costly and less health protective “leachable cadmium” approach.
(See ITT’s Online Archives or 09/0211 and 02/14/11 news, 11090235 and 11021429, for BP summaries on Consumer Product Safety Commission votes to defer action on a petition to regulate cadmium in toy metal jewelry, pending the outcome of ASTM committee work on the issue.)
1Rainbow/5-7-9 Stores (AIJJ Enterprises/Rainbow Apparel), Aeropostale, American Eagle Outfitters, Catherines Inc/Lane Bryant, Charlotte Russe, Claire’s, Cost Plus, Fiesta Jewelry, Finesse Novelty, Forever 21, Group USA, Haskell Jewels, Hot Topic, MJM Jewelry, Old Navy/Banana Republic/The Gap, Rodgers Sports Management, Saks Inc., Shalom Int’l, Tanya Creations, Target, The Buckle, and The Wet Seal.
(See ITT's Online Archives or 08/01/11 news, 11080108, for BP summary of EPA wanting importer and manufacturer data on cadmium in children's products such as children's jewelry, which it said could lead to federal-level, CPSC regulations.)