Costume Jewelry (Lead & Cadmium)

Cheap metal fashion jewelry and children's trinkets.

55Moderate burden · out of 100

Cleaner swapSolid stainless steel, titanium, or precious metals

How this score is built

100Start
72.4Chemical hazard 6 × 4.6−27.6
65.6Everyday exposure 2 × 3.4−6.8
55Persistence 4 × 2.6−10.4, then rounded to 55
ModerateThe band55 sits in 40–59.

What each input rests on

The three ratings behind the score, and the studies each rests on
Input	Rating	Evidence
Chemical hazard	6/10	unsourced input
Everyday exposure	2/10	In 57 inexpensive jewellery items with more than 10,000 ppm cadmium, a 6-hour saline soak (simulated mouthing) released up to 2,200 micrograms and a 24-hour dilute acid soak (simulated swallowing) more than 20,000 micrograms of cadmium. Bioavailability of cadmium in inexpensive jewelry · Environ Health Perspect 2011 DOI 10.1289/ehp.1003011 · PMID 21377949 · Abstract, Results · read 2026-10-16
Persistence	4/10	unsourced input

Ratings are editorial. A study listed here supports the rating; it did not compute it. How the index is built

What this means for you

The chemical-hazard rating is what drives the score down. CPSC recalls and independent testing regularly find high levels of lead and cadmium in low-cost metal jewelry, a hazard mainly through skin contact and, for children, mouthing. Stainless steel, titanium or solid gold/silver are inert.

Evidence strength: moderate

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Lower-exposure choices

Fragrance-Free Basic SkincareMinimal · Personal Care

All 33 personal care entries, highest burden first →