Advisory
2008-179
November 28, 2008
For immediate release
OTTAWA - Health Canada is advising consumers that excessively high levels of lead have been found in Mood Chain jewellery pieces. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects.
This series of jewellery contains necklaces and anklets with charms that change colour with changes in temperature.
Approximately 12,000 pieces of the jewellery were sold from 2006 until November 2008 at various dollar and discount stores within Canada. Consumers should immediately take these items away from children's reach. The jewellery may be disposed of in normal household waste.
The high lead content of these items was detected when the anklets were sampled as part of Health Canada’s cyclical enforcement survey for children’s jewellery. Health Canada has not received any reports of illness or incidents related to the use of this jewellery.
Product Description
The necklaces are mounted on an opaque insert within a clear plastic package. There is a multi-coloured sticker marked “MOOD CHAIN” at the top of the outer packaging. Anklets are similarly packaged, but mounted on an opaque insert shaped like a foot. No country of origin, manufacturer or importer information is listed on the packaging.
The charms identified for this advisory include (but may not be limited to) the following designs:
- Moon and star
- Dolphin
- Elephant
- Square
- Lock
- Butterfly
- Heart
- Fish
- Dragonfly
Lead is a toxic metal which can have harmful effects on the behaviour and development of children even at very low levels of exposure. It is illegal under the Hazardous Products Act to import, advertise or sell jewellery items intended mainly for children under 15 which contain more than 600 mg/kg total lead and 90 mg/kg migratable lead.
There is no lead exposure risk associated with using these items for their intended purpose, but anyone sucking, chewing, or swallowing these items would be exposed to high levels of lead. If a child has been observed sucking or chewing on the necklaces or anklets, and you suspect that lead poisoning may have occurred, contact your family physician who can order a simple blood test to measure the child's blood lead level. If you notice or suspect that a child has swallowed a leaded item, contact your local poison control centre immediately.
Additional information on lead in jewellery can be found on-line at Consumer Product Safety.
Media Inquiries:
Health Canada
(613) 957-2983
Public Inquiries:
(613) 957-2991
1-866 225-0709
