An investigation found cadmium levels up to 1,000 times the legal limit in jewelry sold as sterling silver through major online marketplaces.
Here’s what to know
Experts analyzed 25 items purchased from Amazon, eBay, Temu, Etsy, and OnBuy for BBC Watchdog on The One Show, and they found that just two met the sterling-silver standard.
The jewelry ranged from a £1.55 bracelet ($2.10) to £1.99 earrings ($2.68). Some pieces had cadmium concentrations at 10%; the legal limit is 0.01%.
“[That] is absolutely massive, relative to the limits we’re adhering to,” analysis lead Sophie Langley told the BBC. Of the pieces, eight surpassed the legal cadmium limit: three from Amazon, three from Temu, one from OnBuy, and one from Etsy.
While cadmium has useful applications, including in batteries, retired toxicology professor Rob Chilcott explained that cadmium is linked to cancer and poses a risk when inhaled or ingested. A cadmium-laced earring, for example, could easily end up in someone’s food.
“If you put something containing cadmium in your mouth, or indeed if you swallow it, that is really bad news,” he told the BBC.
More background
Meranda, a 34-year-old Etsy customer, also submitted another “sterling silver” necklace for testing after her “neck started getting really irritated,” the BBC reported. The Sheffield Assay Office, which analyzed Meranda’s necklace and 25 other items, found that parts of the chain contained up to 11% nickel, which should not be in true sterling silver.
Nickel can cause skin irritation, and Langley told the BBC that selling fake sterling silver jewelry violates the Hallmarking Act and could result in fines or jail time.
What’s being done?
Etsy did not respond to the BBC’s inquiries. The other four marketplaces said they had removed the jewelry flagged by Watchdog and prohibited misleading listings.
Amazon issued recall notices, and OnBuy did too, making refunds available to affected customers. Temu told the BBC it had commissioned tests on comparable products to check for possible risks. Amazon and eBay directed customers with concerns to contact them for support.
Meranda contacted her Etsy seller about the necklace and received a full refund after speaking to Watchdog.
“It was very shiny. It looked legit,” she said. “I did not think it wasn’t sterling silver.”
Where can I learn more?
These stories explore dangerous goods sold online, questions about chainmail authenticity, recycled-metal jewelry production, and recalls involving harmful substances.
• In the U.K., Which? said Amazon needs legal intervention to stop dangerous product sales.
• A U.K. chainmail maker warned an alt brand’s jewelry is fake or made with underpaid labor.
• Pandora’s biggest factory in Vietnam will use recycled gold and silver to make 60 million pieces.
• Sainsbury’s and Argos recalled three Tu tote bags over potentially child-harming chemical risks.
• In the U.K., Primark warned two Halloween gonks may contain asbestos and advised double-bagging.
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