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Hazardous Lead in Jewelry Products
Keep your employees and customers safe by knowing the lead hazards associated with your products.
Lead is a poisonous substance that is particularly dangerous to children and can cause birth defects.
Adults exposed to toxic levels of lead are also at risk for neurological effects. Lead is a fairly
common element in the jewelry trade particularly for those who solder. It is also a component of many
pewter alloys and may be present at toxic levels from imported pewter products in particular. See
www.epa.gov/lead/leadinfo.htm or
www.osha.gov/SLTC/lead/index.html
for more details on lead safety and testing. See below for frequently asked questions on lead.
Do Halstead Bead pewter products contain hazardous amounts of lead?
NO! Our domestic pewter items with the “P” prefix are lead-free. That means they contain less than
1/20% lead and are completely safe.
What about pewter I buy from other vendors, is it safe?
Many pewter jewelry components are not safe, especially those imported from foreign countries that
do not have any lead regulation. Moreover, every level of sale is responsible for verifying lead
content, and labeling if contents are at hazardous levels. We recommend testing your pewter items
to verify that they are safe. See below for information on ordering testing kits.
How does lead get into your body?
Lead is only transferable through inhalation and ingestion. You cannot absorb lead through your skin.
However, it is important to wash your hands after handling products with hazardous levels of lead in
order to avoid transferring lead particles on your hands to your mouth or someone else’s mouth. This
is particularly important around young children who may put objects in their mouth.
What are the dangers of lead poisoning?
Lead poisoning is particularly dangerous for pregnant women and children because it is proven to cause
neurological damage and developmental disorders when blood toxicity reaches hazardous levels. Lead can
also cause illness in adults when exposure is severe. Most common adult over-exposure occurs in careers
involving soldering, welding, construction, mining or industries with high chemical exposure. These are
typical jobs that expose individuals to high levels of airborne lead. Children are more susceptible to
damage from common household objects containing lead such as paint, soil, some toys, etc. because they
put unsafe objects in their mouths.
See www.epa.gov/lead/leadinfo.htm
for more detailed information on lead hazards.
Performing your own lead tests.
We use and recommend Hybrivet Systems Inc., at www.leadcheck.com
for your lead testing needs.
This OSHA approved testing kit manufacturer offers an 8 swab test kit for $18.45 (as of September, 2003).
The test swabs can be used on any surface to determine whether hazardous levels of lead are transferable
through the item. Several other companies manufacture similar test kits for home or industrial testing.
You can find more information on lead hazards and lead testing in the workplace at OSHA’s website,
www.osha.gov/SLTC/lead/index.html.
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