A link to an article

[Former_Member]

Here is a link about the little boy who swallowed the lead charm, they say this incident is at the root of it all in addition to the lead toy recall...

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Pediatrics/GeneralPediatrics/2966

The primary common denominator that I am seeing throughout all of this is China. Shame on Reebok...lead charm bracelets for preschoolers?

They along with Nike have had issues in the past due to their offshore labor practices...multi-national companies care about profits not people and they house their manufacturing facilities in countries that will support that philosophy.

...Now I understand why my husband has always staunchly purchased "Made in America"

[Former_Member]

That is a sad story. According to the report, the four year old didn't even own the shoes or the charm- they belonged to another boy, and the family had visited his home.

The Smart Mama is doing testing, and she says the following products typically test high for lead:
vinyl, esp. colored
Rhinestones- always
metal jewelry- often
pearlized buttons- a lot

And I think some fabric with red dyes sometimes does.

[worksofwhimsy]

A boy in my area got lead poisoning from a toy out of a gumball machine. Seems you can't even safely bribe your kids at the supermarket anymore. (sigh)

[Former_Member]

This freaks me out, because my daughter has shoes with those charmes on them. Not Reebok ones, granted.
Those charms and crystals have been really popular on shoes.

[Former_Member]

I think we need to remember one thing: Reebok didn't intentionally poison the child. In their own way, they fell victim to a bad link in their supply chain.

We are susceptible to the same risk. Only a very small percentage of us deal directly with our materials from the raw source.

I hate what the CPSIA is, and how disproportionate it is to the risks, but I am grateful for the level of awareness it has given so many of us regarding the materials we use, and the products we buy.