Fashion Jewelry and Accessories Trade Association (FJATA) Statement on Cadmium in Jewelry

Safety is the number one concern of the fashion jewelry industry. The FJATA is disappointed that the Associated Press story on cadmium in Miley Cyrus jewelry once again omitted the important fact that safe levels of cadmium have existed in fashion and fine jewelry (both adult and children's jewelry) for decades, and no adverse health effects in either children or adults have ever been reported from its presence.

The AP story relies on private testing conducted by Professor Jeffrey Weidenhamer, tests that neither he nor AP has agreed to share with the FJATA. The story also attributes the fact that the safety of jewelry should be based on the level of cadmium that "escapes if the item is sucked, bitten or swallowed" to an industry position. In fact, migration (or "what escapes") is the basis for accepted toy safety standards in the U.S. (ASTM F-963) and Europe (EN-71-3). Reliance on this kind of migration standard has helped establish the safety of toys around the world, and is now required in the U.S. for toys. FJATA endorses testing children’s jewelry in accordance with these internationally accepted toy safety standards.

The AP story wrongly suggests that the featured products are children’s products when they are clearly labeled for consumers 14 years and older and, according to the retailer, were available for sale in the store's ladies apparel section. In passing the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), Congress determined that “children’s products” should be defined as products designed and intended primarily for children 12 and under. In fact, a proposal to define children’s products as those that might appeal to a child was rejected because such a definition was viewed to be overbroad, since almost any item that could be found around the house might fall in that category.

FJATA strongly endorses labeling as a way to clearly indicate to the consumer the intended age of the user. Many common jewelry motifs, like flowers and animals, or stars, appeal to adults, but also may appeal to children. Labeling provides a clear indication of the intended primary target user. Another factor is whether the product is represented in its packaging, promotion or advertising as appropriate for use by children 12 and under. The alternative, determining that anything that might appeal to a child is a children's product, as suggested in the AP story, is a standard that is not only impossible to meet, it is inconsistent with Congressional mandates and contrary to basic common sense. Many FJATA members already test to internationally accepted standards that have helped to assure the safety of toys around the world. FJATA supports adoption of a federal standard for children’s jewelry based on these international standards.

The full statement can be found at http://www.fjata.org/miley-cyrus-cadmium-in-jewelry/.