Reebok Pays $1M Fine for Toxic Lead in Jewelry

Reebok has agreed to pay a $1M fine to the federal government in connection with the 2006 recall of charm bracelets that contained toxic levels of lead, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced today. The bracelets were imported by the athletic shoe and apparel manufacturer and given away with the purchase of certain styles of kids' footwear from May 2004 through March 2006. The fine is the largest ever for a Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA) violation, according to a CPSC Press Release. In March 2006, Reebok and the CPSC announced the recall of 300,000 of the heart-shaped charm bracelets -- which were manufactured in China -- after a 4 year-old Minnesota boy swallowed one of the bracelet pendants and later died with toxic levels of lead in his blood.

• CPSC Press Release on Reebok's $1M Fine
• CPSC Press Release on March 2006 Bracelet Recall
• Reebok to Pay $1 Mln Fine for Lead Jewelry (Reuters)
• Lead Poisoning and the Law (FindLaw)
• Defective and Dangerous Products (FindLaw)