Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Bioavailability Of Cadmium In Inexpensive Jewelry, Jeffrey D. Weidenhamer, Jennifer Miller, Daphne Guinn, Janna Pearson

Jeffrey D. Weidenhamer

BACKGROUND: High cadmium (Cd) concentrations have recently been found in some inexpensive jewelry. In response, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued five recalls of children’s jewelry products for Cd contamination. However, there is no formal standard for Cd in jewelry and few data exist regarding potential exposures. OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the bioavailability of Cd in 86 components of 57 jewelry items found to contain high levels of Cd (>10,000 ppm) by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), using extractions which simulate mouthing or swallowing of jewelry items. METHODS: Jewelry was screened for Cd content by XRF. Bioavailability was measured …