Cadmium in children's jewellery # 5
Jun. 19th, 2010 07:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
emma_in_dreamI have finally had a response to the letter I sent to the Minister for Home Affairs in April about cadmium in children’s jewellery.
Thank you for your correspondence of 6 April 2010 raising your concerns about the risk of high levels of cadmium in imported children’s jewellery. Toys coated with excess levels of cadmium are pa prohibited import under Customs Regulations, unless I have granted Ministerial Permission for import. Any jewellery clearly intended for children will be captured by this regulation.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) provide the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service with policy advice and guidance on this import control. The ACCC has advised Customs that it is currently researching and testing jewellery to determine whether any contain high levels of cadmium.
If the ACCC identiries any specific types or brands of goods that are a risk with cadmium, Customs will seize any future shipments of those goods at the border.
The ACCC and the State and Territory fair trading authorities also have powers to deal with any dangerous toys or jewellery identified, if they are already on sale in Australia.
If you have any concerns...etc
I do intend to get back to him. Firstly, the ACCC are the first people I contacted, back at the beginning of the year and they told me point blank they have nothing to do with this so, despite what they are telling the Minister, it is obviously not a priority.
Secondly, what if the people importing the jewellery don’t declare that it has cadmium in it? This system seems to rely on operator honesty.
Thank you for your correspondence of 6 April 2010 raising your concerns about the risk of high levels of cadmium in imported children’s jewellery. Toys coated with excess levels of cadmium are pa prohibited import under Customs Regulations, unless I have granted Ministerial Permission for import. Any jewellery clearly intended for children will be captured by this regulation.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) provide the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service with policy advice and guidance on this import control. The ACCC has advised Customs that it is currently researching and testing jewellery to determine whether any contain high levels of cadmium.
If the ACCC identiries any specific types or brands of goods that are a risk with cadmium, Customs will seize any future shipments of those goods at the border.
The ACCC and the State and Territory fair trading authorities also have powers to deal with any dangerous toys or jewellery identified, if they are already on sale in Australia.
If you have any concerns...etc
I do intend to get back to him. Firstly, the ACCC are the first people I contacted, back at the beginning of the year and they told me point blank they have nothing to do with this so, despite what they are telling the Minister, it is obviously not a priority.
Secondly, what if the people importing the jewellery don’t declare that it has cadmium in it? This system seems to rely on operator honesty.
