Oakland, CA - A Disney-brand children's bracelet and children's jewelry purchased at Disneyland have tested positive for alarmingly high levels of lead in independent testing commissioned by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH). A glossy coating on the Disney bracelet contained 166,000 parts per million of lead, a level that is more than 275 times the legal limit for lead in paint. The necklace purchased at Disneyland that contains high lead levels is misleadingly labeled "lead-free."

CEH filed legal action against Disney yesterday, and today took action outside Disney headquarters in Burbank, California, where CEH Executive Director Michael Green and "Mikey" Mouse delivered a letter to Disney CEO Michael Eisner and CEO-elect Robert Igor calling on the company to order an immediate recall of the items and to take steps to protect children from lead exposures in all of its children's jewelry. "Parents need to know that the Disney products they buy for their children are safe, "said Michael Green, Executive Director of CEH. "We expect Disney to take swift action to protect children from this toxic jewelry."

The Disney items, one purchased at an Oakland chain drug store and two purchased at the Disneyland Resort, all tested for levels of lead that are a potential risk to children. Lead can affect brain development and is especially harmful to young children and fetuses. Last month, a six-year-old girl in San Jose suffered lead poisoning from a charm bracelet purchased at a craft store, and over the past few years at least seven other children have needed medical attention due to lead-poisoning from toy jewelry.

Last month, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, a government agency, came out with a new policy on lead in "metal" children's jewelry. However, the Disney items found by CEH tested for toxic levels of lead in components which are not covered by the new policy. CEH first exposed the problem of lead in plastic jewelry over a year ago, but neither CPSC nor the industry has comprehensively addressed the problem of lead in all parts of children's jewelry.

Over a year ago, CEH notified major retailers about the health risks from lead-tainted jewelry, and last year the Center and the California Attorney General joined in suing dozens of retailers to force them to take steps to eliminate lead risks in jewelry. "With all the recent attention to this problem, Disney and other companies that sell children's jewelry have no excuse when we uncover their toxic children's jewelry sales," said Green. "These companies need to stop making excuses and start taking strong action to keep risky jewelry off the shelves."

The CEH lawsuits against retailers and today's action against Disney were taken under California's Proposition 65 law, which allow for citizen enforcement when companies fail to warn consumers that use of their products will expose people to illegal levels of toxic chemicals. CEH is represented by the Lexington Law Group, LLP, a San Francisco firm specializing in environmental and consumer public interest litigation. 

Photos of the Disney jewelry and more information about the CEH action on lead jewelry can be found at  http://www.cehca.org/saferjewelry.htm

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