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Retailers To Pull Jewelry With Lead

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The Associated Press

Published: November 22, 2007

ALBANY, N.Y. - Two major nationwide retailers have agreed to stop selling lead-laden children's jewelry in a settlement with New York authorities, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday.
Big Lots Inc., a discount retailer, and Michaels Stores Inc., a major crafts store, agreed to immediately discontinue sales of the jewelry at their stores across the country.

Other regional retailers, including Pure Allure of Oceanside, Calif., and Buckwholesale.com, of Tucker, Ga., Dollar Days International of Scottsdale, Ariz. also settled investigations with Cuomo, and are taking the lead jewelry off their shelves.

Several companies will pay fines, Cuomo said.

The settlement comes as a national, voluntary recall of lead-contaminated children's jewelry is expected to be announced by the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Lead can be toxic and create learning disabilities in children. Cuomo said some of the 35 products contained as much as 1,000 times the federal safety standard.

"My office has undertaken an ongoing and extensive investigation into lead levels in children's jewelry, and taken swift, enforceable action to remove contaminated products from stores," Cuomo said.

Most of the jewelry was made in China, some came from Thailand and India, and some had no record of where the items were manufactured.
Big Lots agreed to pay a $1,000 penalty. Michaels Stores doesn't have to pay a penalty.

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