A TOXICS and waste watchdog group on Sunday reiterated its call to consumers to avoid using skin-whitening lotions and creams as they are often laced with harmful chemicals such as mercury, a health-damaging chemical forbidden in cosmetic products.
The group issued the warning as it uncovered the illegal sale of another product for whitening axillae that contains mercury.
The group has been tracking mercury-laden cosmetics, particularly skin lightening products, which pose serious threats to human health and the ecosystems. Its findings are promptly reported to the Food and Drug Administration for law enforcement action. To determine if the product contains mercury, the group used a handheld X-Ray Fluorescence analyzer, a point-and-shoot scientific device that can identify and measure heavy metals and other chemicals of concern.
Exposure to the inorganic mercury in skin lightening products, according to the World Health Organization , may result in kidney damage, skin rashes, discoloration and scarring, reduced skin’s resistance to bacterial and fungal infections, as well as anxiety, depression, psychosis and peripheral neuropathy.
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