Four California Burlington Coat Factory stores and a
Hayward, Calif., Styles for Less retail store were cited for selling
lead-tainted jewelry.

The California Attorney General sent legal notices to
Burlington Coat Factory on June 13 for selling 23 jewelry items in violation of
California law.

According to the legal notice, the items were purchased at
Burlington Coat Factory stores in Woodland, Inglewood, and Vacaville, Calif.,
in April and all had clasps that contained excessive levels of lead. A necklace
clasp contained 36 percent lead and the other 23 items had components testing
between 52 percent and 88 percent lead.

The Center for Environmental Health, a non-profit that
investigates jewelry for compliance with California law, found six items in
violation of the lead jewelry law at Burlington Coat Factory in 2010.

Styles for Less was cited for four jewelry items that were
purchased in April containing excessive levels of lead. A necklace clasp
contained 56 percent lead while the three other items had components testing
between 57 percent and 67 percent lead.

The CEH found 10 items in violation of the law at Styles for
Less in 2009 and 2010.

Burlington Coat Factory could not be reached for comment.

In
May, three Los Angeles jewelers were sent to jail for selling lead-filled
counterfeits. 

JCK