Reebok Recalls Bracelets Amid Child’s Death
Sneaker-maker Reebok International Ltd. is recalling 300,000 charm bracelets after a four-year-old in Minnesota swallowed a piece of the jewelry and died from lead-poisoning.
The bracelet was a premium that came with a pair of children’s Reebok athletic shoes the company began distributing in May 2004. The 8-inch-long metal bracelet featured a heart-shaped charm engraved with the Reebok logo, the company said.
The four-year-old child, whom was not identified, died in February from lead-induced brain swelling after swallowing a piece of metallic jewelry that contained high levels of lead, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. Tests performed on the bracelet showed the charm was 99% lead, the department said in a statement. The bracelets were made in China, Reebok said.
Separate tests performed on a different charm from the same brand of shoes contained 68% lead, the health department said. The safety threshold for lead content in jewelry is 0.006%, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
As part of an investigation into the child’s death, Minnesota lead prevention program officials found two models of shoes, the Reebok Disco Queen II Casual Running Shoe Preschool and the Reebok Classic Leather Reptile Preschool, were advertised on a Web site with pictures of charms that matched the one swallowed by the boy. Various models of shoes are involved in the recall, Reebok said.
”Reebok is cooperating fully with appropriate regulators, and working hard to fully understand what happened, how it happened, why it happened— most importantly— we can immediately take steps to prevent it from happening again,” said Paul Harrington, CEO of the Reebok brand, in a statement. ”I want to assure all of our consumers and our retailers that I will do everything in my power to ensure that no other family, no other child, suffers a similar tragedy.”
The company is conducting a review of its quality control programs to determine, what, if any, additional safety measures it should add to its operation, Harrington said. On its Web site, Reebok advises consumers to remove the bracelets from children and dispose of them.
Calls for additional comments from Reebok were not returned.
