Amid growing worry over the presence of toxic cadmium in kids\' jewelry, a new study further supports the fear that kids can be exposed to more than 100 times the recommended limit of this noxious metal when they mouth or accidentally swallow common, inexpensive jewelry items.

Following strict regulation on lead content in children\'s items, many manufacturers, especially in China, have turned to cadmium as a cheap, shiny, and easy to work with metal for use in cheap jewelry, which is often marketed to kids.

Although lead is a potentially harmful metal at high exposure, cadmium is a much more noxious metal even at lower doses, and has been linked to kidney, bone and liver disease. It is also a known carcinogen.

Ironically, in an attempt to eradicate one toxin from our children\'s lives, we\'ve traded up in toxicity, said Dr. Charles McKay, a medical toxicologist at Hartford Hospital-University of Connecticut Health Center.

What\'s more, we\'ve traded a regulated substance, lead, for one that is not yet regulated in children\'s toys or in jewelry, he added.