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Lead in Toy Jewelry – CPSC Guidance for Lead (Pb) in consumer products : *16 CFR 1500.230
Toy jewelry, or other products intended for use by children, containing a hazardous amount of Lead are considered to be "hazardous substances." The Lead level (600 mg/kg) permitted in 16 CFR 1303 (Total Lead Content in Surface Coatings) is referenced.
Limit
Total
Lead Content of Toy Jewelry 600
mg/kg
Remarks:
1. mg/kg
= milligrams per kilogram (ppm = parts per million)
2. *16 CFR 1500.230 = Title 16, CFR 1500.230 Chapter II – Consumer Products Safety Commission
(CPSC) of
Lead Poisoning
Lead affects the peripheral and central nervous system. The most common
sign of peripheral neuropathy due to chronic lead poisoning is painless wristdrop
(weakness of the extensor muscles of hand) which usually develops after many
weeks of exposure.
Lead is especially damaging to children under age six whose bodies are
still developing. Lead causes nervous system damage, hearing loss, stunted
growth, and delayed development. It can cause kidney damage
and affects every organ system of the body. It also is dangerous to adults, and
can cause reproductive problems for both men and women.
A direct link between early lead exposure and extreme learning disability has been confirmed by
multiple researchers and child advocacy groups.
One myth related to lead-based paint is that the most common cause of
poisoning was eating leaded paint chips. In fact, the most common pathway of
childhood lead exposure is through ingestion of lead dust through normal
hand-to-mouth contact during which children swallow lead dust dislodged from
deteriorated paint or leaded dust generated during remodeling or painting. Lead
dust from remodeling or deteriorated paint lands on the floor near where
children play and can ingest it.
Applications of Lead
·
Lead is a major constituent of the lead-acid
battery used extensively in car batteries.
·
Lead is used as a coloring element in ceramic
glazes, notably in the colors red and yellow.
·
Lead is used to form glazing bars for stained glass
or other multi-lit windows. The practice has become less common, not for danger
but for stylistic reasons.
·
Lead is used as projectiles
for firearms
and fishing sinkers because of its density, low cost
compared to alternative products and ease of use due to relatively low melting
point.[20]
·
Lead or "sheet-lead" is used as a sound
deadening layer in such areas as wall, floor and ceiling design in sound
studios where levels of airborne and mechanically produced sound are targeted
for reduction or virtual elimination.
·
Lead is used in some candles to treat the wick to ensure
a longer, more even burn. Because of the dangers, European and North American
manufacturers use more expensive alternatives such as zinc.
·
Lead is used as shielding
from radiation.
·
Molten lead is used as a coolant,
eg. for lead cooled fast reactors.
·
Lead glass is composed of 12-28% lead oxide.
It changes the optical characteristics of the glass and reduces the
transmission of radiation.
·
Lead is the traditional base metal of organ pipes,
mixed with varying amounts of tin to control the tone of the pipe.
·
Lead is used as electrodes
in the process of electrolysis.
·
Lead is used in solder for
electronics, although this usage is being phased out by some countries to
reduce the amount of environmentally unfriendly waste.
·
Lead is used in high voltage power cables as sheathing
material to prevent water diffusion into insulation.
·
Lead is used for the ballast
keel of sailboats. Its high weight-to-volume ratio allows it to counterbalance
the heeling effect of wind on the sails while at the same time occupying a
small volume and thus offering the least underwater resistance.
·
Lead is added to brass to reduce machine tool
wear.
·
Lead sheets are used as roofing material.
·
Lead is frequently used in scuba diving
weight belts to counteract the diver's
natural buoyancy and that of his equipment.
·
Lead is often used to balance
the wheels of a car; this use is being phased out in favor of other materials
for environmental reasons.
·
Lead is still widely used in statues and sculptures.
Former Applications of Lead
·
Lead was used as a pigment in lead paint
for white as well as yellow and red colors. It was discontinued because of the
dangers of lead poisoning. However, lead chromate
is still in use.
·
Lead was the hot metal used in hot metal typesetting.
·
Lead was used for plumbing
in Ancient Rome
·
Lead was used as a preservative
for food and drink in Ancient Rome.
·
Lead was used for joining cast iron water pipes and used
as a material for small diameter water pipes until the early 1970s.
·
Tetraethyl lead was used in leaded fuels
to reduce engine knocking; however, this is no longer
common practice in the Western world due to health concerns.[22]
·
Lead was used to make bullets for slings.
·
Lead was used as a component of toys. Due to toy safety
regulations, this use has been stopped in the United States.
·
Lead was used in car body filler, which was used in many custom cars
in the 1940s-60s. Hence the term Leadsled.
·
Lead is a superconductor
at 7.2 K and IBM tried to make a Josephson
Effect Computer out of lead-alloy.
Contrary to
popular belief, pencil "leads" have never been made from lead. The
term comes from the Roman stylus, called the penicillus,
which was made of lead. When the pencil originated as a wrapped graphite
writing tool, the particular type of graphite
being used was named plumbago (lit. "act for lead";
"leadmocku").
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