Children's Jewelry Recall Due to Cadmium

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Recently, children's metal necklaces called "The Princess and the Frog" were recalled because they are made primarily of cadmium. Cadmium is a metal which, if swallowed, can cause kidney and bone damage. Most people swallow some small amount of cadmium in food and water, and there is cadmium in cigarette smoke. But swallowing pieces of cadmium or cadmium toys exposes children to large amounts of cadmium at one time.

To prevent this kind of poisoning, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommended that parents throw away children's cheap metal jewelry. By extension, parents might consider buying inexpensive jewelry only if they know it's safe. In addition, regulations were put into place concerning cadmium in children's toys and jewelry products.

There are no proven effective treatments for excess cadmium in the body, so preventing cadmium poisoning is the most important thing. If you have questions about cadmium, you can call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.

Rose Ann Gould Soloway, RN, BSN, MSEd, DABAT emerita
Clinical Toxicologist