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Every Halloween, kids (and plenty of adults) look forward to finding creative inspiration for their costumes, assembling their outfits, and showing them off for trick-or-treating or at Halloween parties. It’s no secret that by nature, Halloween presents serious environmental concerns due to the often single-use value of a costume. To make matters worse, plenty of Halloween costumes are made with materials that can contain toxic chemicals. Last year, The Guardian wrote about how we at the Center for Environmental Health held Halloween Express and Spirit Halloween accountable for selling costumes with lead, cadmium, and even BPA.

We wish that toxic chemicals in Halloween costumes were a thing of the past.

But our recent investigation found Halloween-themed rings sold by Shein to contain high levels of cadmium. Cadmium, like lead, has been linked to cancer and kidney damage. It can also lead to problems with becoming pregnant, difficulties maintaining a pregnancy, and the increased likelihood of birth defects.

We shouldn’t have to worry about being exposed to toxic chemicals when trying to dress up for Halloween to enjoy the holiday. So what can you do to protect yourself from exposure?

1) Know the risks of purchasing costume jewelry. Most jewelry is much safer now than it was over a decade ago because of our legal action over the years. Our work even helped set strict levels for lead in children’s jewelry nationwide as part of the bipartisan Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. But, as we’ve seen with Shein, there are still toxic chemicals other than lead that could be out there.

2) Stop buying plastic stuff. Plastic clothing and costumes can contain a myriad of toxic chemicals that can affect our health. And if your costume is discarded after only one use, it will sit in a landfill and harm the environment.

3) Wash your hands before eating your Halloween candy. The primary route of lead and cadmium exposure is ingestion. If your child happens to be wearing one of Shein’s cadmium-tainted rings and eats their Halloween candy before washing their hands, they could be exposed. Don’t forget to use soap and water and scrub for at least 20 seconds – hand sanitizer doesn’t cut it when it comes to protecting your loved ones from lead or cadmium exposure.

Have a fun, safe, healthy, and happy Halloween!