# Lead in children's jewellery dangerous... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 15, 2001, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-in-childrens-jewellery-dangerous/76320 "2001-08-15T02:54:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-in-childrens-jewellery-dangerous/76320/1 "2001-08-15T02:54:11Z")
The government knows, the superstores know, the manufacturer’s **have** to know, but still, it seems, kids can buy nice, cheap jewellery that can (and probably will) give them lead poisoning. When the Canadian government did it’s little song and dance regarding this problem; they tested the jewellery and found high lead levels in most of the junk, but they would not release a list of problem manufacturers. They did recommend that manufacturers keep the lead levels down. Oooh, we’re scared now. Our multimillion dollar, international industry better straighten up and fly right, cause the Canadian government recommends it. Good grief. [Here](http://temagami.carleton.ca/jmc/cnews/19012001/n4.htm) is a link to a pertinent article. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-in-childrens-jewellery-dangerous/76320/2 "2001-08-15T02:56:55Z")
[Here’s](http://www.kyw.com/now/story/0,1597,291709-406,00.shtml) another link to a similar story from the United States. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-in-childrens-jewellery-dangerous/76320/3 "2001-08-15T02:57:52Z")
Same thing with candles. Several brands of candles use some sort of lead in their wicks and when the candle burns, you put lead into your home environment. Nice, huh? But to my knowledge, they have yet to release actual brand names or issue a wide public warning. ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-in-childrens-jewellery-dangerous/76320/4 "2001-08-15T03:08:52Z")
lead in children’s jewellery dangerous? cite please ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-in-childrens-jewellery-dangerous/76320/5 "2001-08-15T03:16:21Z")
Hmm, I linked to two sites; I’m not sure if you’re asking seriously or not, **oldscratch**. Speaking of candles, I suspect it isn’t common knowledge that blowing out tin pail candles (like those big citronella ones) can result in a blow back explosion from the hot wax hitting the hot aluminum pail. A guy I worked with had a wife who got third degree burns on her face from doing this on a camping trip. I have no official cites for this, but I could look if need be. ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-in-childrens-jewellery-dangerous/76320/6 "2001-08-15T03:26:10Z")
twas a joke. see. I saw the title of your thread, and immediately thought. Obvious man strikes again. or something to that effect. or not ---
**Author:** ![MIKE\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@MIKE\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MIKE_P)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-in-childrens-jewellery-dangerous/76320/7 "2001-08-15T05:12:48Z")
I was passing by the Hello Kitty store in the mall when I saw a notice in the window. It said that some hello kitty jewelry contains lead and that a volluntary recall was started. It also stated that if you didnt put in your mouth there was no danger. Just another reason why Hello Kitty is evil:D ---
**Author:** ![kellibelli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e480ec/32.png) [@kellibelli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellibelli)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-in-childrens-jewellery-dangerous/76320/8 "2001-08-15T05:42:26Z")
I have a pewter keychain, it has lead in it, is it dangerous? Should it be outlawed? I dont see the problem, as long as the little demons dont eat the stuff, and of course if they do, then you have all new problems! I think we are fast becoming alarmists. From the article: > [@](#): > > The risk of lead poisoning from sucking or chewing on cheap jewelry is relatively low, says Dr. Milton Tenenbein, a pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital in Winnipeg and an expert in poison control. He says it would take “chronic exposure” for a child to ingest enough lead to cause serious harm. I say if your kid is so fucking stupid they eat jewellery…ummmmm…dont buy it for them? Kids can sniff gas, should we ban it? they get high from model glue, should we ban model planes? another quote: > [@](#): > > The risk to adults and older children is low, because lead can’t be absorbed through contact with skin, says Craig Palmer, a project officer at Health Canada. So I should be limited in what I can buy because some half wit cant stop _sucking on a necklace?_ You know they use lead in stained galss windows too, we better ban them! Kids might lick the windows. featherlou, your heart is in the right place, but burgers and cokes are WAY more dangerous to most kids than lead jewellery. ---
**Author:** ![KP235](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@KP235](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KP235)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-in-childrens-jewellery-dangerous/76320/9 "2001-08-15T05:53:17Z")
Hey, I heard somewhere that there are high levels of lead in some fishing tackle. Especially in the heavy things that you put on the end of the line. Anyone know anything about this? Should I give up fishing? ---
**Author:** ![kellibelli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e480ec/32.png) [@kellibelli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellibelli)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-in-childrens-jewellery-dangerous/76320/10 "2001-08-15T11:14:22Z")
Thats terrible! Lots of fishermen suck on their tackle! ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-in-childrens-jewellery-dangerous/76320/11 "2001-08-15T15:55:03Z")
What about pencils? ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-in-childrens-jewellery-dangerous/76320/12 "2001-08-15T16:09:11Z")
The lead in a pencil is made of graphite, not lead (unless you meant the paint on a pencil, in which case I don’t know if there is lead in that). Overall, I am with kellibelli on this. Just don’t let your kid eat cheap jewelry for breakfast (only high quality zirconium will ever see the inside of my child’s esophogus - when I get one). ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-in-childrens-jewellery-dangerous/76320/13 "2001-08-15T17:44:42Z")
In a perfect world, where people actually pay attention to their children and make some effort to control their actions, it would be enough to say that the parents shouldn’t buy this crap for their kids and they should teach the kids not to put _any_ jewellery in their mouths. In the world we live in, though, parents do not have this much control over their children. And it never would have occurred to me to tell an older child not to suck on a necklace or whatever. Heck, **I** still suck on my jewellery on occasion, just like the way I nibble my cuticles. Nobody is immune to strange habits. My problem, however, is not with children sucking jewellery; children do all sorts of stupid stuff, and I would be the last person to suggest we protect them from everything. My problem is with industry and government knowing that this very real hazard exists and doing nothing about it. Just another example of the “profit over all” mentality that I find so disturbing. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-in-childrens-jewellery-dangerous/76320/14 "2001-08-15T18:08:54Z")
What about antique jewelery made of cinnabar (mercury sulfide)? I see this stuff and it’s real pretty but people actually let that contact their skin? Can mercury be absorbed through the skin or am I just an alarmist? And actually, **kellibelli** , the model airplane glue generally available in the US today doesn’t work nearly was well as the old, more-sniffable, stuff. For either sniffing or glueing. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-in-childrens-jewellery-dangerous/76320/15 "2001-08-15T18:29:48Z")
Yes, but from the articles you linked, it appears that it is **not** are very real hazard but a very _slight_ hazard. The problem with lead paint is that paint chips are very easily consumed by an infant/toddler. It is not very likely that an infant/toddler is going to consume a significant amount of lead from a cheap necklace. I can’t say that I’m bothered. To me it sounds like a possibly reasonable response to a minor consumer threat (as opposed to the usual insistence on zero risk). ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-in-childrens-jewellery-dangerous/76320/16 "2001-08-15T19:50:44Z")
From the show I was watching, Marketplace, it appears that the amount of lead needed to cause developmental problems in a child could be contained on the head of a pin. In my opinion, a slight hazard from lead poisoning _is_ a real hazard. I believe that lead also builds up in the body from repeated exposures. According to [this](http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ehp/ehd/catalogue/general/iyh/leadhum.htm) site, we are getting lead from a number of sources. I think it is valid to try to minimize a child’s exposure to lead. Regarding mercury-compound jewellery, [this](http://www.stao.org/safeart3.htm) site says: “Most forms of mercury can be absorbed into the body through direct contact with the skin, but it is not known to what extent absorption occurs.” To me, that’s a warning flag. The way I see it, I’m getting deluged every day with trace amounts of all kinds of toxins from the city environment I live in. I wouldn’t take a chance on wearing mercury-containing jewellery, because I’m getting enough toxins inadvertently already. ---
**Author:** ![Myrr21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Myrr21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrr21)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-in-childrens-jewellery-dangerous/76320/17 "2001-08-15T20:05:23Z")
What bothers me is the “we did this study, but won’t really tell you the results” bit of it. Sure, you could personally go out and do a brand-by-brand comparison, but it would be nice for the government–having already done the study–to let you make up your own mind about what’s a risk and what’s not. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2001, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-in-childrens-jewellery-dangerous/76320/18 "2001-08-15T20:08:42Z")
Thanks! Yeah, seems like a bad idea to me, too. You don’t see it so much anymore, at least.