CPSC Opens Investigation of Lead in Children's Jewelry-Making Kits
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's staff has opened an investigation into the safety of some children's jewelry-making kits after New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman released the results of testing done by his office. Schneiderman said the testing showed parts of several kits contained lead up to 10 times higher than federal child safety limits.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's chairman, Elliot Kaye, announced April 22 that his agency's staff has opened an investigation into the safety of some children's jewelry-making kits after New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman released the results of testing done by his office. Schneiderman said the testing showed high lead levels in parts of several kits supplied by LaRose Industries and sold in K-Mart, Target, and Toys-R-Us stores in Long Island, New York City, and the Syracuse and Buffalo areas. He said in some instances, the toys contained lead up to 10 times higher than federal child safety limits, and that the same kits were offered for sale in Rochester and by other retailers in New York.
He called on the retailers to remove the Cra-Z-Art products from sale immediately and recall the products found to contain high lead levels, as well as any similar Cra-Z-Art products, and he urged CPSC to require a national recall of the products.
"Manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers all have a responsibility to ensure that products intended for use by children are safe," Schneiderman said. "My office's discovery of children's products containing high levels of lead for sale on store shelves in New York points to an alarming breach in the safety net that is supposed to protect our kids from dangerous chemicals. In addition to calling for immediate action to remove these products from store shelves, my office will investigate – and hold accountable – those responsible for allowing toxic products to reach our children. No parents should have to worry that a toy they buy may poison their child."
CPSC Chairman Kaye issued a statement announcing the new investigation and calling Schneiderman and his staff "strong partners with us in product safety, especially when it comes to protecting children." Kaye also said the CPSC investigation "will be thorough and swift, and we will certainly take all warranted steps to protect the public."