Cadmium and lead: why should you care about them?

Jewels are among one of the women's favorite gifts of all ages and tastes. However, you need to be very careful when purchasing these parts. On January 22, 2016, an Inmetro ordinance came out warning about the amounts of cadmium and lead in various imported goods that are sold here in Brazil.

It's not just the jewels that were the target of the investigation. Jewellery, which is also widely consumed, due to its more affordable price, also had high levels of these two heavy metals, which are harmful not only to the environment, but also to our health. Understand more about these metals and the dangers they present:

Here is one of the most toxic metals on the periodic table. Cadmium is used in the manufacture of batteries, and it is one of the reasons why these objects must be disposed of in special dumps.
Cadmium is solid at room temperature but is easily malleable and can be cut with a knife. This is one of the reasons why it is widely used in the manufacture of metal alloys for jewelry. This is one of the major concerns of controlling bodies.

It is not just any amount of cadmium that is bad for health. The toxicity of this substance is not very significant in contact with the skin since there is low absorption. The problem is when his rates on jewelry are above the recommended 0,01%. There are several organic tissues that can be damaged by the metal: the kidneys, bone system, testicles, nervous and blood system.

Another metal that is quite malleable at room temperature. It is extremely toxic and widely used in construction and acid batteries. Lead is also used in metal alloys used in jewelry and costume jewelry. The maximum value of lead in accessories must not exceed 0,03%.

The toxicity of this metal will depend on some factors such as age, exposure time and health of the individual. A word of caution for pregnant women: exposure to lead in accessories can impair the motor and neurological development of the fetus.

Precautions

According to Inmetro, there is no need to dispose of all jewelry that has already been purchased. It takes a long time for the body to be exposed to these parts. However, the problem is that metals accumulate in the body over time.

Therefore, prevention is better than cure. That's why when a seller imports merchandise that exceeds the recommended values, he must send it back to the country of origin.

Secure purchasing

Both cadmium and lead are used to give more shine and malleability to the piece. This combination also manages to offer the consumer a much lower cost when compared to parts that do not have the alloy.

There is no concrete way, a ready-made recipe to recognize a jewel or bijouterie that has heavy metals. Therefore, the best way to avoid buying these types of parts is to purchase accessories from reputable stores that are already consolidated in the market.

Another tip is to choose stores that manufacture their own pieces or that have, on the label, the place where they were imported. For example, the European continent and the USA have strict control in these cases. Most parts with high cadmium and lead content came from the Asian continent.

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