By Farhan Naqvi, Personal Injury Lawyer in Las Vegas
It may be hard to believe that products sold in the Las Vegas area and across the country today still contain harmful amounts of lead. Consumer groups and the U.S. government have devoted countless resources to ensuring that the unsafe substance is kept out of products as much as possible. Unfortunately, high levels of lead have been discovered in a certain jewelry item which is being marketed to children.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of 19,000 “Love Tester” mood rings and 4,000 similarly-themed mood necklaces because they reportedly contain unacceptable levels of lead. The jewelry in question was sold at retail stores across the nation for about four dollars each from September of 2005 all the way up until June of this year.
The products are designed to change color to pink, yellow, beige, or orange as the wearer’s “mood” changes. The packaging is small and circular with a reddish color and the phrases “Love Tester” and “Are You In The Mood?” printed on it. The rings and necklaces were manufactured in China and distributed by D&D Distributing-Wholesale, which is based in Tacoma, Washington.
Though lead can be hazardous to adults, it can have even more dangerous effects on the nervous systems of children because their bodies are still developing. It can affect the behavior of kids by making them irritable, inattentive, or hyperactive. Higher levels of lead in children can result in learning problems, hearing loss, stunted growth, brain damage, and even death.
Parents are urged to take the recalled jewelry away from their children immediately and contact the distributor for a full refund. If you feel that your child is suffering from the effects of lead poisoning and that a defective toy may be the cause, you should consider contacting a product liability lawyer.
About the Editor: Farhan R. Naqvi is a Las Vegas personal injury lawyer who has experience representing victims injured in car accidents, drunk driver crashes, truck wrecks, slip and falls, taxi cab accidents, and bicycle crashes. He also has experience handling spine injury, product liability, underinsured/uninsured driver, and wrongful death cases. If you’ve been seriously hurt in an accident in Summerlin, North Las Vegas, Clark County, Henderson, Boulder City, Green Valley, or Pahrump, give Farhan a call at 702-553-1000 for a free, no-hassle consultation.