A bill (AB 1681) recently cleared CA State Assembly & is now awaiting a hearing before the State Senate's Committee/Environmental Quality. In its current form it would, from 2007, ban the sale in the state of: Metal jewelry containing more than 600 ppm lead (using the "Screening Test" announced by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC); Nonmetal (other than lead crystal) jewelry containing more than 200 ppm lead (again,using CPSC Test); Lead crystal jewelry that yields more than 90 micrograms of accessible lead (CPSC's Acid Extraction Test). While the proposed bans on metal & nonmetal jewelry containing lead is no surprise given the recent scandal surrounding the marketing of costume jewelry containing lead which prompted the announcement of new guidelines, it is surprising to see lead crystal jewelry targeted in this legislation.
