Two state legislatures, Connecticut and Minnesota, have recently voted into law bills that regulate the amount of cadmium in children's jewelry.

The Connecticut law (CT PL 10-113) limits cadmium in any children's jewelry to 75 parts per million (ppm), as measured by a total weight test. It's effective July 1, 2014.

The Minnesota law (MN Chap 347, Article 6, Sec. 27) also restricts cadmium in children's jewelry to 75 ppm, but measures the metal using a migration test referenced from the ASTM standard F 963. The requirements will become effective for manufacturers and wholesalers as of January 1, 2011, and for retailers as of March 1, 2011.

MJSA has also learned that Washington State has rescinded regulations implementing a recent law (WA Revised Code Chap. 70.240), which had limited the amount of lead, cadmium, and phthalates in all children's products, including jewelry. Washington canceled the regulations because it decided not to challenge the state preemption clause in the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, a federal law passed in 2008 that set standards for lead in children's products.

A total of nine states have introduced legislation to regulate cadmium in children's jewelry, since a January 2010 Associated Press article reported that high levels of the toxic metal had been found in children's costume jewelry imported from China. Both houses of Congress have also introduced federal legislation to regulate cadmium in children's jewelry, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission is also investigating the best methods for protecting children from the harmful effects of cadmium.

MJSA continues to monitor cadmium legislation on the state and federal level and has created a frequently updated members-only chart on the progress of various state measures. On behalf of the jewelry industry, MJSA also presents research and an industry perspective to relevant state and federal officials, including the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

In January 2010, the association also created a publicly available Guide to Cadmium in Jewelry at its website, which it updates regularly on this frequently changing issue.

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