No, if cadmium and lead are turning up in pencil cases, it's probably because they were used in the paints or inks used for decoration. Cadmium has been used f

No, if cadmium and lead are turning up in pencil cases, it's probably because they were used in the paints or inks used for decoration. Cadmium has been used for reds, yellows, and orange pigments since the 1840s. White lead pigments go back to the 4th century BC. Red lead pigments were used in ancient Rome. Yellow lead pigments (lead(II) chromate) were developed in the 1810s. For the most part these have been phased out due to toxicity, but perhaps in China they are available cheap and in the case of cadmium pigments are really good, strongly colored, durable pigments, if you ignore the toxicity.