Oakland Tribune - Piercings a welcome mat for toxic lead?

BERKELEY -- Hipsters beware: That navel piercing or nose ring may be hazardous to your health.
In rare cases, seizures, organ failure and even death can occur.
That's the message from the California Department of Toxic Substance Control, which is enforcing a new state law that regulates lead in jewelry, especially piercing jewelry.
That law went into effect March 1.
"Body piercings may be particularly vulnerable to poisoning since lead can enter the bloodstream through the pierced areas," said Maureen Gorsen, director of California's Department of Toxic Substances Control in a written statement.




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To get the point across, officials of the department were in Berkeley on Thursday at Zebra Tattoo and Body Piercing Shop to spread the word that jewelry must have less than 10 percent lead as of March 1 and less than 6 percent by Aug. 30, 2009.
Those who violate the new law face fines of up to $2,500 a day for each piece of jewelry in their possession.
Kerrie Naslund, 34, a senior piercer at Zebra for 16 years, said she is confident her shop is lead-free because it gets most of its jewelry from American manufacturers who provide certifi
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