Walmart’s Miley Cyrus line of charm bracelets has only recently been pulled from the shelves because the item contains the toxic heavy metal cadmium, despite the fact that the retailer was aware of the contamination for several months. According to a report in USA Today, the "AP reported…that the world’s largest retailer received test results in February of items bought in its stores nationwide but continued to sell the make-it-yourself charm bracelets.”
On April 9, Walmart began to require that suppliers test their products for cadmium to show that children’s items contain little to none of the metal. The policy did not apply to items that were already on the shelves, such as the Miley Cyrus bracelets. The company explained to the Consumer Product Safety Commission that such testing would be “too difficult”.
Walmart’s only comment upon announcing that the product was pulled was that the jewelry was intended for juniors, an undefined age group. Apparently girls who are old enough to watch “Hannah Montana” are not considered children, and therefore can be exposed to toxic metals without any worry. Sometimes, the truth is more incredible than fiction.
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