Health Canada has issued a recall notification warning parents about chemical hazards posed by an Easter bunny necklace made for children.
The recalled jewelry sold by the company Great Pretenders contains cadmium in excess of allowable limits, the advisory said.
It is illegal to import, advertise or sell children’s jewelry that contains this amount of cadmium under Canada Consumer Product Safety, Health Canada said in the recall notification issued on Monday.
Under the Children’s Jewellery Regulations, jewelry items that appeal primarily to children under 15 and contain more than 130 mg/kg total cadmium is illegal because the substance is highly toxic, particularly to children, according to Health Canada.
Health Canada warns that exposure to cadmium has serious health effects including anemia, vomiting, diarrhea, serious brain injury, coma, as well as effects related to the liver, kidneys, heart and immune system. In extreme cases, there have been deaths.
The health agency says the recalled products were manufactured in China and have the model number 86140, Lot number 8045, UPC 771877861406 and date code September 15, 2022, written on the back of the product packaging.
The company reported that 593 pieces of the affected products were sold in Canada from January to March, however, as of March 24 the company has received no reports of incidents or injuries in Canada.
Anyone who has the recalled jewelry is told to immediately take it away from the children and return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.