Toy Jewelry & Pound Of Coal

More toxic toys on store shelves
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has been working to get lead out of kid’s toys. Now, the government agency is trying to determine whether it can do anything about another toxic chemical found in toys – a heavy metal called cadmium. Mark Brush has more:

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is reacting to a report by the Associated Press that found twelve percent of children’s jewelry had high levels of cadmium. Some of the pieces tested were almost completely made of cadmium. The heavy metal can cause kidney disease and it’s known to cause cancer.

Scott Wolfson is with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. He says that because of all the problems with lead in toy jewelry – the bottom line is that parents should just stay away:

“Over the past four years we have done more than 50 recalls of more than 180 million units of jewelry. That’s astounding. It reached a point, where CPSC has been recommending to parents that they stop buying children’s metal jewelry for the youngest of kids.”

And some experts say – if you’ve got old toy jewelry in the house – it’s probably a good idea to get rid of it. For the Environment Report, I’m Mark Brush.


This is The Environment Report.

When you turn on the lights… there’s a pretty good chance you’re burning coal. Almost half the nation’s electricity comes from coal. And burning coal causes the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide. But… I’ve been wondering how much?
So… I got a pound of coal… and then I talked to Ezra Hausman. He’s the Vice Presidetn of Synapse Energy Economics in Cambridge Massachusetts.
First… if I burned this pound of coal at a power plant… how long would it light up a 100 watt incandescent light bulb?
3:23

“… in the coal reserves underground in the United States.”



Ezra Hausman is Vice President of Synapse Energy Economics.
That’s the Environment Report. I’m Lester Graham.