Finding Cadmium in Toys: Video

Two years ago, high levels of lead in toys from China caused a scandal and lead testing has become more common. Now, however, it seems some toy and toy jewelry manufacturers have substituted heavy metal cadmium for lead. The metal is cheap and easy to work with, but can cause cancer and hinder brain development in children. X-ray fluorescence measurements were used to determine the amount of cadmium in the jewelry — in some cases it was over 90%. Legislators are scrambling to write laws limiting acceptable levels and labs that serve end users are dealing with a flurry of concerned parents.

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