By Howard Lloyd,Ruby Watson

Copyright walesonline

Amazon have been forced to remove women’s and children’s rings after trading standards bosses discovered they contain high levels of a cancer-causing chemical. The Office for Product Safety and Standards forced the online giant to stop selling the Dishowme butterfly rings after discovering the product contains dangerous amounts of a chemical listed as a ‘category 1 carcinogen’. They found the product contains high levels of cadmium that poses a ‘serious chemical risk’ to humans – with the potential to damage organs and cause cancer. The jewellery, from China, is described as ‘two silver-coloured butterfly rings sold in a clear plastic bag’ and marketed at ‘women and girls’. Following the alert, the jewellery has been pulled from Amazon’s website. The Office for Product Safety and Standards said: “This product presents a serious chemical risk as the cadmium content was found to be greater than the maximum permissible limit. Cadmium is harmful to human health as it accumulates in the body, may cause cancer and can damage organs.” Trading bosses stated that the necessary ‘corrective action’ was ‘removal of the listing by the online marketplace (Amazon)’. According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the uses of cadmium are declining and are now heavily restricted in the EU because of the health risks it poses. Now it is mainly used in the production of nickel-cadmium batteries, pigments and conductors. UKHSA states that for the element to cause any effect on your health you need to come into contact with it and this can happen through breathing or ingesting it. They also write that the International Agency for the Research on Cancer classified the element as being carcinogenic in humans and severe cases of exposure can lead to death. The UK Health Security Agency writes: “Breathing air with high levels of cadmium can cause shortness of breath, chest pain, a metallic taste in the mouth, cough and flu-like symptoms (metal fume fever), which may occur some hours after the exposure. “In severe cases, exposure can lead to extensive fluid loss, lung damage, multiple organ failure and death. Levels of cadmium in the environment are typically not high enough to cause these effects. Ingestion of cadmium can cause irritation to the digestive tract, with diarrhoea and nausea. “Ingestion of large amounts may result in effects on metabolism, a build-up of fluid in the lungs and swelling of the face. Cadmium may cause irritation in contact with the skin. Exposure to cadmium for a long period of time may result in damage to the bones and kidneys and may cause cancer.” Amazon stressed that the incident did not constitute a product recall. An Amazon spokesperson said: “We require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable laws, regulations and Amazon policies. “We continuously monitor our store and we develop innovative tools to prevent unsafe products from being listed. We take action to maintain a safe selection for our customers, including removing noncompliant products, and outreach to sellers, manufacturers, and government agencies for additional information, when appropriate. The product in question has been removed.”