MEXX RECALL
Mexx Canada yesterday recalled children's jewelry and purses because of illegal and dangerous levels of lead.
The move follows another recall in February by the fashion clothing and accessories company for children's shoes and sunglasses.
All the products were manufactured by Liz Claiborne, the New York company that purchased Mexx Canada in 2002. The company uncovered the problem after conducting tests.
The recall items include chain, wax cord and wooden beaded necklaces for girls and boys, as well as jean and corduroy purses for girls. Some of the items have been in Mexx outlets throughout Canada since January 2007.
More than 13,000 units have been sold.
Parents should immediately take the recalled items away from children, Health Canada said.
Wearing jewelry made of lead is not a health risk, but lead poisoning can be fatal if children chew, suck or swallow it.
"As soon as we learned our strict safety and sourcing procedures had not been followed, we took action, pulling and testing all relevant products and contacting Health Canada," said a statement from Mexx, which has posted recall information at all stores and contacted customers via mail whenever possible.
"We believe our swift corrective action has addressed the situation and will ensure the future safety of all of our consumers," the company claimed.
Since the beginning of the year, there have been 15 recalls of children's products containing illegal levels of lead in Canada. The culprit is usually either the levels of lead in paint or the actual lead content in jewelry.
In this case, customers can return the items to any Mexx story for a full refund, the company said.
Test results from Health Canada show how pervasive the problem of lead is in some products.
Six out of 10 children's jewelry items for sale in Canada tested at the government's product-safety laboratory in the past two years had dangerous and illegal levels of
lead -- some made of almost pure lead.
Health Canada oversaw the targeted testing of 205 samples of suspicious items and identified 120 illegal products. The most egregious case was a jewelry item containing 92 per cent lead, suggesting the jewelry was made from lead-acid batteries for cars and other lead scraps.