Child's elevated lead level prompts recall of key chain sold at Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart recalled 12,000 charm key chains today after reports that a nine-month-old child who had mouthed one had elevated levels of lead in her blood. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan alerted the Consumer Product Safety Commission to the problem after the key chain was discovered during an inspection of the afflicted child's home. The CPSC cautions parents to take the key chains away from children.

“There were 34 recalls of costume and children’s jewelry in 2007 for lead. This child’s story is a very real wake up call about the danger that costume jewelry can pose for children,” Attorney General Madigan said. “The consequences of children mouthing this jewelry or potentially swallowing small pieces of the jewelry can be devastating.”

This is not the first time Madigan has stepped in to get the lead out. In December, her office caused the recall in Illinois of a red Fisher-Price toy blood pressure cuff that was discovered to contain lead by testing conducted by Consumer Reports. Two weeks later her office caused the recall in Illinois of a second Fisher-Price toy blood pressure cuff that also contained lead. Madigan's office enforces the Illinois Lead Poisoning Prevention Act, which prohibits the sale of toys, clothing, jewelry or any other product intended for use by children that contain lead in excess of 600 parts per million. The Act is among the strongest lead laws in the country.

Keys and babies are not a safe combination. In our December story, "New worries over lead," we reported that brass keys can be another source of potential lead exposure, as Katrina Barron of South Bend, Ind., found. When her daughter Aurora's blood test revealed an elevated blood lead level of 11 micrograms per deciliter in July 2007, a local health department investigation identified Katrina's house and office keys as one potential source of exposure.

The Wal-Mart recall involves 12,000 "Hip charm" key chains that feature such charms as a button, clover, leaf, heart and sand dollar hanging from a silver-colored chain (see photo). The UPC number 31568 11017 is printed on the packaging. The key chains were sold at Wal-Mart for the past three years, beginning in April 2005, for six dollars. Wal-Mart is offering a refund to consumers who return the item to one of its stores. For more information, contact Wal-Mart at (800) 925-6278 or visit the company's Web site www.walmartstores.com.

More on lead in children's jewlery
Since 2003, nearly 170 million pieces of children's jewelry have been recalled by the CPSC because the items contain high levels of lead. To see if your child owns any of this jewelry, view our photo gallery of recalled items or visit the CPSC's Web site and check recalls.