Editor’s Note
**Editor’s Note:** This article reports findings from a market surveillance campaign in Baden-Württemberg, revealing dangerously high levels of cadmium and lead in fashion jewelry—up to 9,500 and 1,200 times the legal limits, respectively. Affected products have been removed from the market.
Market surveillance has detected significant exceedances of limit values in fashion jewelry. In individual cases, the limit for cadmium was exceeded by 9,500 times and for lead by 1,200 times. The affected products have been removed from the market.
The Tübingen Regional Council, responsible for market surveillance across Baden-Württemberg, conducted a focused campaign and found clear exceedances of lead and cadmium limits in fashion jewelry. In individual cases, the cadmium limit was exceeded by 9,500 times and the lead limit by 1,200 times. In eight cases, market surveillance measured a cadmium content of 90 percent in metallic parts of the jewelry, and in one case even 95 percent. The affected jewelry parts thus consisted almost entirely of cadmium. For lead, concentrations of up to 60 percent were found in two cases.
Environment Minister Franz Untersteller expressed concern over the results and announced further market surveillance checks:
Under the European REACH Regulation (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals), strict limit values for the use of cadmium have applied to the placing of jewelry on the market since December 2011, and for lead since October 2013. If the limits of 0.01% by weight for cadmium and 0.05% by weight for lead in new jewelry or parts thereof are exceeded, it may not be sold.
Cadmium is mainly used in jewelry production as a component in alloys, solders, or electroplated coatings. When used in combination with silver, it serves to harden and facilitate the processing of silver alloys, making it more cost-effective.
Lead can be introduced into jewelry, for example, through white metals, which as an alloy contain higher proportions of nickel, lead, and tin.
Overall, market surveillance inspected 392 jewelry items, including piercing jewelry and jewelry inserts in magazines for young people. 297 items came from a total of 16 different retailers in wholesale, brick-and-mortar, and online trade. Another 95 items were checked from 11 different retailers present at a major consumer fair.
In a total of 55 cases (14 percent), authorities found heavy metal levels above the permissible limits. Inspectors were disproportionately successful at a major consumer fair: around 35 percent of jewelry items there showed elevated heavy metal levels.
The conspicuous jewelry items were generally voluntarily and immediately withdrawn from sale by the retailers. If the upstream supplier or jewelry manufacturer was based outside Baden-Württemberg, the Tübingen Regional Council also involved the locally responsible authorities. In some cases, market surveillance filed criminal charges with the public prosecutor’s office.
Market surveillance recommends that consumers, if in doubt, contact the retailer from whom they purchased or wish to purchase the jewelry item.
The Market Surveillance Department of the Tübingen Regional Council has the statewide task of monitoring product and chemical safety for consumer products, capital goods such as machinery and plants, chemical products, and construction products. The aim is to protect consumers from unsafe products and counteract possible distortions of competition in business and industry.
For inquiries regarding the focused campaign on fashion jewelry, please contact the press office of the Tübingen Regional Council ([email protected] or phone: 07071 757-3009).