Other factors that affect the rate of mercury absorption are skin thickness and external temperature. Each sample was prepared and measured for one minute, in triplicates. Mercury is a toxic substance that can cause damage to the gastrointestinal tract, nervous system and kidneys. Amponsah D, Sebiawu GE, Voegborlo R. Determination of amount of mercury in some selected skin-lightening creams sold in the Ghanaian market. If it has mercury There have been many efforts to raise awareness of the possible risks posed by these skin lightening products in an attempt to lower their rate of use.4, Combining the use of skin lightening products in Jamaica is a common practice. A large proportion (280 respondents) were younger than 30 years old. The new PMC design is here! workup for differential diagnoses of renal, dermatologic and neurological diseases. Working standards were prepared by dilution of a 1000 mg/L ascorbic acid (AA) standard stock solution and intermediate standards. Learn more You may opt-out by. Murphy T, Kim S, Chanra P, Lim S, Wilson K, Irvine KN, Slotton DG, Allen L. Mercury contamination of skin-whitening creams in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Long term exposure to inorganic mercury may also result in irritability, muscle weakness, memory loss and kidney failure.8 Pregnant women and women of childbearing age (1844 years old) are of particular concern regarding mercury exposure because they can transfer mercury to their child.

Wang L, Zhang H. Mercury content in marketed cosmetics: analytical survey in Shijiazhuang, China. Products with mercury concentrations above 400 ppm were reported to be used by at least 50% of respondents. Cold vapor atomic absorption spectroscopy was used to measure a batch of samples that were below the detection limit of the XRF analysis (10 ppm). Individuals who use skin lightening products in Jamaica may be at risk for high mercury exposure, as some popular products were found to have mercury concentrations above the allowable limit. Our results showed that cream formulations had the highest concentrations of mercury, while products with lotion formulations had the lowest concentration of mercury. Tainted skin cream results in mercury poisoning. Mercury Concentrations of Products Measured Using Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (n = 25). creams, gels, lotions and bar soaps. The first phase of the project involved collection of data on the types of skin lightening products available for use from twelve (12) locations in Jamaica. The accuracy of the XRF analyzer was tested using a multi-element reference material, Niton PN 180554; batch SN: PE-079-N (ThermoFisher Scientific, Massachusetts, USA). Intentional use of mercury salts is prohibited in non eye care cosmetics in several countries such as the US and the EU and India. Using the calibration curve, the estimated value for the instrument detection limit was approximately 10 ppm. exposure or whether to obtain urine mercury levels. Certainly, the WHO list of mercury synonyms is not exhaustive. [cited 2020 Jan 13]. In fact, labels of products that arent regulated by the FDA or other such government bodies may not even accurately represent everything thats in the products. Some skin lightening products used in Jamaica are imported from other countries. Skin lightening or skin bleaching is a public health concern in countries where these products are popular, such as Jamaica, as skin lightening products may contain toxic substances such as hydroquinone, steroids and mercury.3 Mercury exists in three forms: elemental, inorganic and organic. Bethesda, MD 20894, Web Policies Individuals exposed to 1000 ppm to 38,000 ppm of mercury displayed symptoms of mercury poisoning and ultimately kidney damage, while persons exposed to mercury less than 25 ppm did not display any critical symptoms.9 Although there were some products in Jamaica containing more than 1000 ppm of mercury, to our knowledge, there have been no reported cases of mercury poisoning as a result of using skin lightening products. Ask patients who may be at risk for using skin lightening products because of medical or Figure 4 summarizes the health effects reported by respondents. Some patients may require supportive care. Six skin lightening products were found with mercury concentrations above the FDA allowable limit of 1 ppm. Support for this study has been provided by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Mines and Geology division of the Ministry of Transport and Mining in Jamaica for mercury analysis and the Pan American Health Organization, with contributions from the University of West Indies. In recruiting the participants, inclusion criteria were males and females who regularly used skin lightening products living in different parishes in Jamaica (Figure 1). Table 4 shows the mercury concentrations in skin lightening products based on product category. PMC legacy view Mercury-containing products can also generate mercury-containing vapors that can then be inhaled by anyone who happens to be around. Five (5) ml of stannous chloride was added to each biological oxygen demand bottle which was immediately attached to the aeration apparatus. 1 Department of Physics, Radioecological Lab, The University of the West Indies, Mona Jamaica, 2 Analytical Services Department, Mines and Geology Division, Hope Gardens, Kingston, Jamaica, 3 Pan American Health Organization, Washington DC, USA. Chelation therapy did not reverse her symptoms, as she was left unable to talk or take of herself to the point that shes relied on a feeding tube to get nourishment. The Forbes Worlds Most Influential CMOs List: 2022, Tiny Turtles Responsible For Salmonella Outbreak, Says CDC, An Autism Therapy Company Abruptly Cuts Off Care To Children As It Lays Off Staff, National Cancer Institute Appoints First Woman Director, Can Inflammation Lead To Cognitive Issues? Ana Boischio is a staff member of the Pan American Health Organization. Consultation with a medical toxicologist at The detection limit was found to be 0.03 g/g. The questionnaire is included in Supplemental Material 1. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a limit of less than 1 ppm of mercury in skin lightening products. The maximum mercury absorbance after 2 minutes was recorded. The experiment was used to test the accuracy of the analyzer in measuring mercury in this sample matrix i.e. General questions: Minnesota Department of Health at 651-201-4899 or. Sixty skin lightening products were purchased from different vendors across various locations in Jamaica. Previous studies have demonstrated the use of portable handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzers to measure mercury concentrations in skin lightening products in cases where mercury concentrations were well above 1000 ppm.10,11,3 The present study investigates the suitability of using portable handheld XRF to measure lower concentrations. National Library of Medicine The digested solution was made up to 100 ml with distilled water. Over time, such mercury exposure can damage different parts of your body, including your kidneys and parts of your nervous system, such as your brain. The health risks The health risk from chronic and prolonged exposure to high concentration levels of mercury is well known and widely documented. The ideal biomarker for inorganic mercury exposure from skin lightening products would be a urine sample, however no biomarkers were used in the present study. 2022 Forbes Media LLC. The FDA has set an allowable limit of 1 ppm of mercury in skin lightening products.4 In the present study, the results from the CVAAS analysis showed that 3 out of 25 products tested contained mercury concentrations greater than 1 ppm. In this case, the public should be educated about the risks of using these products. Chelation treatment of asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patients is Anil Agarwal Environment Training Institute, Mercury in fairness creams inhibits the formation of melanin, resulting in a lighter skin tone. in it, it can harm others if it gets into the environment. It may also cause skin rashes, skin discolouration and scarring, as well as a reduction in the skins resistance to bacterial and fungal infections. Some of the factors that may influence dermal absorption include hydration of the outer layer of the skin and the frequency of application.22 In our sample from Jamaica, 48% of respondents applied the products more than once per day, thereby increasing their dermal absorption. Supplemental Material 3 shows the mercury concentrations of products (total of 60 products) measured by the handheld XRF analyzer. In the US it is 65 ppm. Mercury-vapor can be odorless so you may not even know what you are inhaling. Map showing locations () visited during field trips. The most common products used in homemade mixtures were white cream' and yellow cream'. specialist should be consulted. Corresponding author: Phylicia Ricketts, Tel. This is a tragic reminder that you dont want mercury rising in your body. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the The results of the present study provide an overview of potential mercury exposure in Jamaica.

The research team visited 12 vendors to conduct a market survey to determine the number of skin lightening products available in Jamaica. Contact Minnesota Poison Control with any questions about evaluating for mercury Many European and African nations have banned the use of mercury in skin lightening products. There were 138 cases of reported side effects and 79 cases involved individuals who used products with mercury concentrations higher than 1 ppm. Use of a product containing mercury exposes everyone in the home to mercury vapor in the air. Previous studies have reported cases of the health effects of mercury exposure from the use of skin lightening products. Then, there is that big thing that so many people are treating like a gigantic toilet bowl slash garbage disposal: the environment. No emulsifiers were used to combine the mixture and only liquid mercury standards were available at the time for calibration purposes. Therefore, it is important to monitor products originated or distributed in these countries, Mercury Concentrations in Popular Skin Lightening Products Across Countries, *The number of significant figures varied according to reference articles, When a skin lightening product is applied to the skin, the mercury is most likely absorbed through the skin. will naturally get rid of the mercury over time. The recovery for mercury in the sample was greater at high concentrations. symptoms may be present though are unlikely, and a toxicologist or environmental In our sample, 51% of women and 49% of men used skin products more than once per day. In fact, a case report recently published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) showed how they can be devastating. Therefore, for persons living in tropical climates, the rate of absorption for mercury compounds in skin-lightening products is greater than that for those living in cool climatic regions,27 highlighting another risk factor for the population in Jamaica with regard to these products. products. other chemicals such as hydroquinone or steroids) may be the active ingredient in these I am a writer, journalist, professor, systems modeler, computational and digital health expert, avocado-eater, and entrepreneur, not always in that order. A previous study found that the mercury concentration of one of two skin lightening samples products manufactured in Jamaica was 13,546 times greater than the FDA limit.3 Since these mercury-containing products are still available for purchase (both locally and for export), the objective of the present study was to use different analytical techniques to measure mercury concentrations in popular skin lightening products used in Jamaica and to estimate the levels of mercury exposure to users, in order to raise awareness and promote appropriate legislation. The solution was mixed thoroughly and covered with Mylar film. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. In addition, 25 out of 60 products were further measured using cold vapor atomic absorption spectroscopy (CVAAS). [Internet] Revision 3.0. Preventing disease through healthy environments: mercury in skin lightening products [Internet], Sandoval A. Skin lightening or bleaching is a major public health concern in Jamaica. use of a preservative. For the recovery experiment, 5 ml of mercury chloride standard, containing 20 ppm of mercury was added to 10 g of a sample (La Bamakoise Tamarin Lait Extra Tonique (lotion)) in the sample cup.

Mercury is found in both inorganic and organic forms in cosmetics. Individuals who lighten' their skin will generally apply the product to their face. It can mess up your skin, causing rashes, discoloration and scarring, as well as making your skin more susceptible to infections, basically the opposite of skin care. More like skin beware. Int J Environ Res Public Health [Internet]. Potential health consequences of applying mercury-containing skin-lightening creams during pregnancy and lactation periods. government site. The main reported side effects were itchiness and irritability.