Jewelry Industry to Self-Regulate on Toxic Cadmium

Efforts by the jewelry industry to voluntarily limit the toxic metal cadmium in children’s trinkets are finally coming together.

Because the limits are voluntary, there is no automatic penalty if jewelry exceeds them.

Federal regulators will, however, use the limits in deciding whether to pursue recalls of products that contain cadmium, which can cause cancer and other diseases.

Last year, the government asked stores to yank hundreds of thousands of cadmium-packed trinkets.

The new rules were written by a jewelry trade association but were backed by a range of other interested parties.

Some consumer advocates warn the rules will not fully protect the health of kids who lick or even swallow cadmium jewelry.