The Hazardous Products Act makes it illegal to import, advertise or sell children’s jewellery containing more than 600 mg/kg total lead and more than 90 mg/kg migratable leachable lead.
The adverse effects of lead on young children have been documented in hundreds of studies, and these changes are expected to have a direct benefit in protecting children from the considerable health risk of exposure to lead.
Requirements include warning labels showing lead content attached to the jewellery itself or to its packaging.
As the majority of costume jewellery is imported, monitoring and enforcement will take place by way of enhanced working relationships between Health Canada and the Canada Border Services Agency.
Additional information can be obtained from our technical consulting group.