Blog

Sep 29, 2023

Radioactive jewellery recalled in Switzerland

A Swiss company has sold esoteric “negative-ion” jewellery containing high

A Swiss company has sold esoteric "negative-ion" jewellery containing high levels of uranium and thorium. The Federal Office of Public Health has written to people who have bought the jewellery, telling them to send it to the health office.

Health office spokesman Daniel Dauwalder on Monday confirmed media reports that an unnamed company had imported rock powder from China with levels of the two radioactive substances that were harmful for skin cells and the outer skin layer.

The health office said if the bracelets, necklaces and earrings were worn for several hours a day over a year, the skin's dose threshold of 50 millisieverts could be exceeded. In the long term, the risk of skin cancer would increase, it added.

People who had bought the jewellery did not need to take medical measures, even if they had worn the jewellery for a while, the health office said.

The radioactive rock powder was discovered by German customs guards, who informed the Federal Office of Public Health.

Dauwalder said the office had already received many items of jewellery, which would be disposed of accordingly. The jewellery must not end up in the normal rubbish, the office said.

More

This content was published on Jun 27, 2016Jun 27, 2016Some 30 former watchmaking workshops in Switzerland's Jura region need renovating on account of high levels of radioactive radium. Another 370 –...

More

Multinational tax rules, a new climate law, and anti-Covid measures are on the ballot papers for the first national voting day of the year.

Articles in this story

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at [email protected].

Read more

More

This content was published on Apr 24, 2018Apr 24, 2018Nearly 1,000 watchmaking buildings and workshops in Switzerland could be contaminated by radium, a radioactive element that was used to add...

More

This content was published on Mar 26, 2018Mar 26, 2018A NGO report has accused two Swiss gold refiners of procuring gold from controversial suppliers in Peru and Dubai. Both refiners, Metalor and PAMP,...

More

This content was published on Aug 23, 2011Aug 23, 2011Almost all major civilisations have prized gold over all other precious metals. Apart from being highly valuable and almost indestructible, it...

More

Do you want to stay informed abroad? Now our app SWIplus offers even more Switzerland: with news, stories and our briefing!