i thought to post this article in case anyone had bought reebok shoes in the past little while. goes for kids as well as adults..
Parents warned to dispose of bracelets
Health Canada is warning parents to get rid of a charm bracelet given out free by Reebok with the purchase of children’s shoes because it contains very high lead levels.
The bracelet has been linked to the lead-poisoning death of a four-year-old boy in Minnesota, who swallowed its heart-shaped charm. The charm, imprinted with the word Reebok, was manufactured in China and found to be 99 per cent lead.
Reebok began an international recall of 300,000 of the 20-centimetre eight-inch long metal bracelets last week. About 6,140 of them have been distributed through shoe stores in Canada since June 2004.
Health Canada advised parents Wednesday to take the bracelet away from children immediately and dispose of it in normal household waste.
While there is no health risk in wearing the bracelet, it is harmful to suck or chew on the charm, it said. If a child has been seen doing that, parents should contact their family physician, who can order a simple blood test to measure the child’s blood lead level.
If parents suspect their child has swallowed the charm or any other lead item, they should contact their local poison control centre immediately, the department said in a statement.
Lead poisoning in children was more common until the 1970s because they were exposed to lead in paint, but the levels in interior paint are now strictly limited. Short-term exposure to high levels of lead can cause vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, coma or even death.
Four-year-old Jarnell Brown of Minneapolis died on Feb. 22, a few days after he swallowed the charm. He was found to have a blood concentration of lead three times the level considered to be a medical emergency.
Paul Harrington, president and CEO of Reebok, issued a statement this week saying “the entire Reebok family was saddened by the tragic death.
“Personally as parents, and professionally as a brand committed to human rights and a healthy, active lifestyle for adults and youth, we extend our deepest sympathies to the child’s family,” he said.
Reebok has launched a comprehensive investigation to find out what happened and to prevent it from happening again, he said.
Consumers can contact the Health Canada Product Safety office for more information about the bracelet by calling 1-866-662-0666.