Your Urban Outfitters jewelry might have toxic levels of lead in it

A new report shows that Urban Outfitters jewelry has shockingly high levels of lead in it. The report comes from the Center for Environmental Health (CEH), a nonprofit that seeks to protect consumers from toxic chemicals. Since 2003, the organization has been testing jewelry to identify potentially harmful chemicals.

This week, it announced that it had tested 11 products from Urban Outfitter’s Urban Renewal line, which includes repurposed and reinvented “sustainably sourced vintage pieces,” and found that more than half had particularly high levels of lead or cadmium, both of which have been linked to cancer and kidney damage, along with many other harms. The pieces include a rhinestone flower belt, a choker, a zodiac pin, and a fairy necklace. One piece had levels as high as 64% lead and 52% cadmium. The CEH described these levels as “stunningly high.”

Lead can add heft to jewelry, brighten its colors, and stabilize or soften plastics, according to California’s Department of Toxic Substance Control, which is why it was used for so long in jewelry making. In 2004, CEH took legal action against companies that carried lead-tainted jewelry, causing 200 companies, including Target, Walmart, and Macy’s, to agree to a settlement that would protect children from unsafe lead exposure. This settlement led to the “tough lead in jewelry” law that was adopted by California and then later became part of a federal law.

But while lead is particularly harmful to children, it has also been shown to cause harm to adults. Kaya Allan Sugarman, director of illegal toxic threats at CEH, said in a statement that pregnant people and those of childbearing age are particularly at risk from exposure to lead and cadmium. The chemicals can cause “problems getting pregnant, difficulties maintaining a pregnancy, and the increased likelihood of birth defects,” she said.

In the aftermath of this law and thanks to ongoing third party testing, most jewelry on the market doesn’t have lead and cadmium in it, says Caitlin Moher, a senior research at CEH. This makes the Urban Outfitter jewelry particularly egregious. “Major retailers should never profit at the expense of our health,” Moher said in CEH’s statement. “Especially when claiming that their vintage line is ‘sustainably sourced’ and upcycled: that is blatant greenwashing.”

This is not the first time that Urban Outfitters has been called out for its lead-tainted products. In 2014, the blog Jezebel pointed out that Urban Outfitters had a disclaimer on its blog saying that some of its products contained lead. At the time, a search of Urban Outfitter’s website revealed 76 results of products that contained lead. Since the brand does not claim to make products for children, this lead content is legal.

It’s unclear why Urban Outfitters continues to make products laced with lead even though the industry has moved on to healthier practices. It’s possible that this particular line, which uses “upcycled” materials, may use older metals that are tainted with lead. As of time of publication, Urban Outfitter hadn’t responded to our request for comment.

 

CEH has asked the company to commit to product-safety standards to ensure that products sold in its Urban Renewal line do not contain any lead or cadmium. The nonprofit is also asking consumers to sign a petition asking Urban Outfitters to prioritize its customers’ health.