U.S. consumer chief warns Asian firms on cadmium use
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The top U.S. consumer product regulator is warning Asian manufacturers not to substitute other toxic substances for lead in children's items, a message that follows the launch of a government investigation into Chinese-made jewelry that lab tests showed was laden with the heavy metal cadmium.
Inez Tenenbaum, chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, said in taped remarks to be delivered Tuesday in Hong Kong that her agency would be strenuously guarding against attempts to swap one health hazard for another, now that lead is barred.
Tenebaum tells an audience of children's products manufacturers, exporters and regulators that she highly encourages them to ensure that other metals like cadmium are not being substituted for lead.
