Cadmium is a carcinogen associated particularly with lung cancer, says Rob Chilcott, a retired professor of toxicology.
It poses a risk to humans if it is inhaled or ingested. For example, an earring falling into food that you then eat.
“If you put something containing cadmium in your mouth, or indeed if you swallow it, that is really bad news,” he says.
Of the eight items found to have breached cadmium limits: three were purchased from Amazon, three from Temu and one from each of OnBuy and Etsy.