An investigation by the Washington Attorney General’s Office had revealed that many children’s products sold on Amazon had high levels of lead and cadmium. The levels were higher than what’s allowed and it’s particularly concerning since they were found in school supplies meant for children. Amazon has now said that it will enforce stricter rules across the country on sales of school supplies and jewelry through its platform.
The investigation had revealed that items like pencil cases, backpacks, necklaces, bracelets, and more had toxic levels of lead and cadmium. Most of these products were aimed at children since they had cartoon characters or were otherwise very colorful.
The investigators conducted two rounds of testing and identified 51 products that head excessive lead and cadmium content. Some pencil cases were found to have 8,500 ppm of lead which is 80 times over the legal limit.
Such exposure to lead can cause a variety of issues in developing bodies. It may cause brain damage and even death in some cases. Cadmium is no joke either, it’s a carcinogen after all. This is why products meant for children aren’t allowed to have higher levels of these substances above what’s deemed safe.
Aside from the specific products, the investigators also determined that Amazon had sold at least 15,188 items which had high levels of toxic metals. Amazon did reach out to the customers who purchased the toxic items early this year after the report and it issued refunds while encouraging them to toss the products. The company says that it will now ask sellers across the country to provide lab testing certifications for products that are aimed at children. Sellers won’t even be allowed to list their products on Amazon unless they provide proof that they’re safe.