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Walmart Yanks Miley Cyrus Jewelry After Report of Cadmium Threat

<p>Walmart agreed to pull a line of toxic cadmium-laced jewelry from its shelves on Wednesday within hours of a press report suggesting the company sold the wares despite knowing they were tainted as early as February.</p>

Walmart agreed to pull a line of toxic cadmium-laced jewelry from its shelves on Wednesday within hours of a press report suggesting the company sold the wares despite knowing they were tainted as early as February.

The Associated Press purchased and tested 61 pieces of Miley Cyrus-branded jewelry and make-it-yourself bracelet charms sold around the country, discovering the average cadmium content was about 16 percent, the news service reported today.

High cadmium levels in jewelery may problematic if they are swallowed, sucked or bitten; cadmium can cause kidney failure and bone softening in cases of long-term exposure. {related_content} Walmart found out about the results in February. In April, the company announced it would require suppliers to prove children's jewelry and other products contained low cadmium levels, but the policy didn't cover items already in stores.

Walmart's only comment for the AP story indicated the jewelry from Cyrus, a popular figure among fans of the teen-oriented television show "Hannah Montana," was aimed at juniors.

Three hours after the AP story appeared, Walmart issued a statement indicating it would yank the implicated jewelry from sale as it investigates.

The AP reported in January that some Chinese manufacturers, under pressure to remove lead from kids' items, were replacing it with cadmium. The news service tested more than 100 pieces of kids' jewelry, finding that nearly 14 percent contained cadmium, with sample having 91 percent cadmium by weight.

Image CC licensed by Flickr user mchessler10023.

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