Federal safety regulators recalled a line of Christmas-themed bracelets yesterday, expanding their effort to purge children's jewelry boxes and store shelves of items containing high levels of the toxic metal cadmium.
The latest action by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission targeted "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" charm bracelets that released alarmingly high levels of cadmium in government lab tests, suggesting that children could be exposed to a carcinogen that also can damage kidneys and bones.
The chain-link bracelets were sold at dollar-type stores between 2006 and March 2009, and feature characters from the classic holiday movie, including Rudolph, the abominable snowman, snowflakes and candy canes. The agency said that parents should immediately take the bracelets from children and throw them away.
It was the second cadmium-related recall by the government since an Associated Press investigation earlier this year found that some kids' jewelry, including the Rudolph charms, was almost entirely made with the heavy metal.
The commission said that the recall may not be the government's last action as it continues to investigate items.
In the agency's announcement, it said that there have been no known cadmium poisonings associated with the bracelets.
A trade group representing the jewelry industry reiterated its belief yesterday that its products pose no risk.
Cadmium poisoning in children has not been widely studied or looked for, and the agency said it is interested in receiving any reports of incidents or injuries.
In their investigation, agency scientists bathed the abominable snowman charm in a liquid that simulates stomach acid to assess how much cadmium would be exposed to a child who swallowed it. It shed more than 20,000 micrograms of the metal in 24 hours; that translates into more cadmium than World Health Organization guidelines deem a safe exposure over 86 weeks for a 33-pound child.
"That's a hell of a lot of cadmium coming off," said Dr. Paul Mushak, a toxicologist in North Carolina specializing in risk assessment of toxic metals. Muschak, who has worked with the safety commission on other issues, also noted that young children could ingest a steady, lower-level dose of cadmium when they suck, bite or chew on such items.
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