Officials with the Dutch customs and environmental inspection authorities have seized 1.3 million Sony Playstation games consoles because the cables contained up to 20 times the maximum level of cadmium allowed, a spokesman for the environmental inspection agency said.
The agency said there is no immediate danger for people who are in direct contact with appliances containing high levels of cadmium, but if the metal gets into the environment and the food chain, people could eventually develop kidney problems.
All consoles of Playstation One type were meant for the Dutch market. Sony Corp and the agency have worked out a solution so the Japanese company can start to ship the equipment to retailers in the next few weeks.
All cables will be replaced by cadmium free wires. The old cables will be disposed of.
AFP