Industry says kids' jewelry needs lead to be cheap

By Diane Bartz

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The shiny tiaras and bracelets that little girls love to wear need to contain lead despite its dangers to keep the cost down for consumers, the Fashion Jewelry Trade Association told a congressional committee on Thursday.

"The total elimination of lead in jewelry, particularly jewelry that is not intended for young children, would impose difficulties and costs on the industry and adversely affect quality and costs to consumers," Michael Gale, president of the jewelry group, told a House of Representatives Energy and Commerce subcommittee.

When inexpensive jewelry is made, lead is often cast in the shape of the item, which is then covered or plated with steel or sometimes silver.

Gale testified at the second day of a hearing on the safety of Chinese-made toys and children's jewelry that contain lead. Members of the Fashion Jewelry Trade Association make inexpensive jewelry for retailers.

"If the plating is destroyed, the object should be destroyed," Gale told Reuters after testifying. "Plating renders the lead inaccessible."

He also said there was a difference between accessible lead and lead that was covered by a metal plate, arguing that covered lead is harmless.

Manufacturers that cut the lead content by too much, Gale said, can face higher rejection rates for intricate pieces of jewelry, a shorter useful life for molds, more breakage because of increased brittleness in the metal, and potentially more complaints from consumers.

Lead in paint and other problems with children's toys has led to massive recalls of toys this year by Mattel Inc.

There were massive U.S. recalls of children's jewelry in 2004 because of excessive or exposed lead, but since then there has been little talk of eliminating lead in jewelry that is specifically made for youngsters.

Even small amounts of lead exposure can do permanent harm in kids, causing behavioral problems and reduced intelligence, said Dr. Dana Best, a pediatrician at Children's National Medical Center who also testified before the panel said that even small amounts of lead exposure can cause permanent harm to children, including behavioral problems.

Dr. Best dismissed the argument that parents should be vigilant and take away broken toys that contain lead, saying that by that point damage could already have been done.

"Every child's toy, equipment, clothing gets destroyed because that's what kids do," she said. "There is no excuse for assuming that a child is not going to do that."

She also said that inexpensive jewelry made for pre-teens would also be worn by much younger children.

"The goal of every toddler is to be older," she said. "They covet the toys and jewelry of their older siblings."