Baltimore wants to crack down on lead-laced baubles marketed to children.
Though lead protection advocates applauded the measure, Madison Avenue reacted negatively to the proposed lead regulation, calling it unnecessary, vague and overly strict.
“In terms of whether it?s necessary or not,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Josh Sharfstein, “if a whole bunch of rings had no lead and one ring has a lot, how can it not be necessary?”
The regulation stated that “children?s jewelry are among the most prominent consumer products that can expose children to unacceptable levels of lead.” It also called federal regulation “weak and ineffectual” and stated that the city health department would ban sales of certain items once examples tested high for lead.
The Maryland Lead Poisoning Prevention commission applauded the policy “in the absence of effective action at the federal level.”
The Baltimore City Health Department had rings tested from a variety of retail stores in July and August. The department found costume jewelry from Claire?s Accessories and Wal-Mart containing as high as 7 percent to 41 percent lead content by weight. Federal regulations ban the sale of paint with more than .006 percent lead content.
Wal-Mart quickly announced they would remove the identified items from stores nationwide, while Claire?s decided to stop marketing the materials just inside Baltimore City.
Still, Claire?s Accessories? attorney objected to the regulation?s characterization of federal regulation as “weak and ineffectual.”
“We have worked with the CPSC in the past and found the CPSC to be both vigilant and practical in protecting children from the potential harmful effects of lead … a letter from Claire?s representative Francis Citera states.
The Fashion Jewelry Trade Association took issue with the statement that “If one item of children?s jewelry is found to contain excess lead, there is a high likelihood of other items having excess lead … The Commissioner of Health will deem all similarly constructed and packaged items from the same manufacturer or distributor a nuisance too the public health,” in the regulation.
“Such a policy is illogical as it paints that supplier with an unreasonable broad brush,” FJTA director Michael Gale responded in a letter.
