Yet hundreds of millions of women, and a growing number of men, are literally bathing in the stuff. Mercury can act as a bleaching agent, and it also holds certain preservative properties (which means it can help elongate a product's shelf-life). Tariq, the Goree executive, said he couldn’t vouch for Goree-labeled products not bought directly from the company. The modern mercury whitening problem is deeply tied to historic cultural issues, from class to colonialism, that vary by country and continent. He unlocked the ray gun’s hard-shell case, lifted the device, and aimed it into a small white jar containing an avocado-colored cream. September 13, 2019 Get link; Facebook; Twitter; Pinterest; Email ; Other Apps; Health officials in California are once again reminding people not to buy or use face creams imported from Mexico and not to use any face creams containing methylmercury. What you see here is a filtered version of Fangraph's The Board (updated 11/25/2020), a list of prospects rated by Future Value. Images from advertisements for skin-lightening products. Face Creams Containing Mercury Product Name From: Country of origin; Found: CA county where mercury cream was found. A horrible case in point happened in … October 8, 2019 4:19 PM. Tamarin 5. In the US, all cosmetic products are required to list their ingredients. It looked like silver but was liquid at room temperature, and its English name derives from the name of the god Mercury who was renowned for his quickness. by Serena Gordon, Healthday Reporter According to the letters sent to Amazon and eBay, skin-care creams were purchased by some of the advocacy groups and their mercury levels were tested. A horrible case in point happened in the 1950s in the Japanese town of Minamata (from which the convention gets its name). M. Arslan Tariq, general manager for technology and business development at Goree Cosmetics Pvt. Since mercury doesn't have a distinctive smell or color, the only way to tell if it is in a product is to read the labeling. Dizon’s group, along with regulators and advocates around the world, are just scratching the surface of a global mercury crisis. Tariq also shipped what he called authentic samples to Bloomberg’s Hong Kong office. The list of beauty brands also included Pakistani brand Faiza Beauty Cream and Golden Pearl Cosmetics. A chemical plant had dumped mercury in Minamata Bay, where it was ingested by fish, which were then eaten by the local people. SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A Sacramento woman is in a coma after using a tainted skin cream with a powerful form of mercury mixed into it. Consumers have asked about "heavy metals" and "toxic metals" in cosmetics. The X-ray vigilantes know their missions have limits. A letter sent to the manufacturer at the Guangzhou address on the packaging was returned as having an incorrect address, and no additional contact information could be found. • In March 2019 Mercury goes retrograde in the sign of Pisces. How Mercury in retrograde can push you to miss your ex boyfriend or girlfriend and possibly even have sex or hook up with them. “There’s still a lot of affirmation of whiteness as beautiful in the Philippines.”, The mercury scars on Grace Reguyal’s skin aren’t apparent at a glance. The best Chinese counterfeits are so convincing, he said, that “even we cannot tell sometimes.” The company sent the results of a test by the government-run Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. "We don't know what effect mercury containing creams have on the air, so that is even more of a reason to avoid these products.". Tariq said those findings were “impossible” and disputed the test results. Amazon and eBay both have policies in place to prevent suspicious items from being listed and also encourage customers to contact them with concerns about purchases. But when she tilts her head up and runs her hand from her ear, down her neck, and then to her collarbone, the pockmarks come into view. And while that last part may make you breathe a sigh of relief, there's still plenty of reason to be cautious about what you're applying onto your skin. You may have heard that mercury can lurk in things like sushi and dental fillings, but it turns out that dangerous levels of this toxic heavy metal can also be found in skin-care products, particularly those from foreign countries. The Sacramento County Department of … There are countries in which the addition of mercury to lotions and soaps isn’t illegal. The main reason that mercury is used in moisturizers, as Benesh explained, is as a skin "lightener." The damage doesn’t end with the customer. Colonialism made it worse. The Sacramento County Public Health Department is issuing a warning for people not to use skin creams imported from Mexico following this case. The disaster was a watershed moment, to a point. Tests keep turning up the toxic element, even in products the manufacturers claim are safe. Blink, blink, blink … “FAIL,” the device read. The EcoWaste Coalition stages a mock beauty pageant to dramatize the health hazards posed by mercury-laden skin-lightening products. "Mercury cannot be used more than 1ppm in skin creams, but the FDA lacks resources to adequately police the marketplace.". Africa is also a big market. To prevent future incidences, eBay says it has implemented filters with the goal of keeping the products identified in the letter from being listed. Asia commands the biggest market share; the World Health Organization found that 40% of women polled in China, India, and other Asian countries said they regularly used lightening products. The dumping stopped, in Minamata and elsewhere, and the world became aware of mercury poisoning in seafood. "Most Americans are aware that mercury is dangerous, but many people don't realize that [it's] sometimes used as the active ingredient in skin-lightening creams," explains Melanie Benesh, a legislative attorney for the Environmental Working Group (EWG), which was one of the advocacy groups behind the letters and who issued a press release about the findings. ; The woman used skin-lightening creams she bought from Mexico twice daily for seven years. Soaps and creams containing mercury are banned in the United States, but may be available for purchase over the counter or on the Internet.. Skin-whitening creams in Pakistan contain mercury which leads to kidney damage, rashes, scarring and even anxiety, depression or psychosis, the WHO has warned. Long-term use of cosmetics that contain mercury can cause damage to the eyes, lungs, digestive, nervous and immune systems. Update: Mercury Poisoning Associated with Beauty Cream -- Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas, 1996 . Shiny Beauty cream 3. DOH needs more people to help out in our battle against COVID-19. Amazon declined to give a comment for this article. The case underscores how dangerous some topical skincare products can be because certain ingredients can … Alamy. Manufacturers use mercury compounds because it can inhibit the formation of melanin. Certain skin-lightening creams and medicated soaps can contain mercury. Our World | August 16, 2019 Top 10 Mercurial Facts About Mercury. Both products are banned by the Philippines Food and Drug Administration, following similar tests by EcoWaste, but Dizon wasn’t surprised that local merchants were still peddling them. “That’s the stereotype of the people in the Philippines.”. The $5 jar, labeled Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene, registered 23,000 parts per million of mercury, according to the XRF. (CBS News) Skin creams, soaps and lotions that are manufactured overseas and sold in some U.S. shops might contain toxic amounts of mercury, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns. … Yet industrial and consumer uses—from thermometers to lightbulbs and batteries—continue. For example, digital non-mercury thermometers are a safer alternative to mercury thermometers. If you are looking for products to target dark spots, King recommends looking for these ingredients instead: vitamin C, licorice extract, and mulberry extract. While we have always advocated for natural skin lightening, we also pride in ensuring that you have access to all information concerning the use of other safer skin lightening options. View our List of Face Creams Containing Mercury (PDF). “Business is business,” he said. Header “74” From: Unknown; Found: San Joaquin County Header Crema Aguamary From: Mexico Found: Sacramento County Best From: Unknown; Found: San JoaquinCounty Block & White, Radiance SPF15 Whitening Face Powder From: Philippines; Found: San Mateo County … Photographs: AP Photo. But the ad campaigns for these products do a lot to fuel demand. How that’s enforced is another matter. Recently, 51 advocacy groups sent public action letters to both e-commerce giants, calling on them to "stop marketing illegal mercury-laden cosmetics" and "to ensure that cosmetics found to have mercury levels over 1ppm are no longer offered for sale" after testing revealed that many of them contained extremely high levels of mercury. The Goree products failed: Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene contained 5,430ppm of mercury; Day & Night Whitening Cream had 43ppm. New Shirley Medicated 20. At a table in the headquarters of the EcoWaste Coalition, chemical safety campaigner Thony Dizon readied his investigative tool: an X-ray fluorescence analyzer, or XRF. After 2020, the “manufacture, import or export” of cosmetics with more than the tiniest trace of mercury will be barred under one of the many terms of the Minamata Convention on Mercury. List of skin lightening creams with mercury ... 22 January 2019 at 5:30 am. Another reason that mercury can be hard to spot in your cosmetics is probably because it goes by many names: Hg, mercuric iodide, mercurous chloride, quicksilver, cinnabaris, or hydrargyri oxydum rubrum (say that three times fast), according to the WHO. So, how can you be certain you're not about to slather a mercury-laden cream all over your face? Photographer: Gregorio B. Dantes Jr./Pacific Press/LightRocket/Getty Images, Photographers: Tommy Trenchard (neon), Shawn Records (sodium), Christie Hemm Klok (berkelium), Carlotta Cardana (gold), and Kiliii Yuyan (neodymium) for Bloomberg Businessweek. Mercury’s poisonous properties are legendary: In Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter is mad—as in insane—because a common milliner’s mercury compound presumably ravaged his nervous system. Indeed, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that the primary adverse effect of mercury in skin-care products is kidney damage. Skin creams with mercury are sold by individuals, in small markets or swap meets, or on the internet. "We know that inhaling mercury vapor can be harmful to your health," explains Zeichner. In Pakistan last year the government conducted tests that found just 3 of 59 products had mercury levels below 1ppm. These are notable albums, defined as having received significant coverage from reliable sources independent of the subject. Even though skin-care products containing an abundance of mercury aren't made in or technically available for sale in the U.S., it's possible they could still be purchased and shipped straight to your doorstep via online retailers like Amazon and eBay. Ben Gazur. You should avoid handmade or unlabeled creams and other brand-name containers that are not sealed when purchased. They then end up with online resellers. Methylmercury is sometimes added to skin care products to reduce wrinkles, lighten dark spots, and brighten the skin. Mercury, which is a toxic heavy metal, is prohibited for use as an ingredient in cosmetic products, HSA said. The report states that Faiza Beauty Cream contains 0.54% of toxic mercury. Filed Under: Mercury poisoning, Mexico, Sacramento News. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Your California Privacy Rights. Caro derm 7. Nerve and kidney damage are next. Moreover, as the WHO explains, mercury in skin-care products and soap is eventually released into wastewater via your shower or bath, for example, where it can then re-enter the environment and our natural food supply (read: the fish in your sushi roll). L’abidjainaise 10. Lower-income consumers who can’t afford a jar of L’Oréal Paris White Perfect ($11.50 in the Philippines) are drawn to cheaper products that do them harm. CAP president Mohideen Abdul Kader. Having paid an undercover visit to a neighborhood market, they returned to their office in an apartment block on the city’s outskirts to assess the haul of skin-lightening creams. September 10, 2019 at 11:46 pm. Yes To lotion 17. FMFoDBL Prospects Board. Many of the products identified by EcoWaste as having the highest concentrations of mercury are freely advertised on EBay, Amazon, and Facebook. Hazardous Products: Mercury in Soaps and Creams. For example, Feique, a cream from China, is available on EBay. Rapid Clair 11. Top Claire Plus 4. It is with this in mind that we have compiled a list of the best hydroquinone 2% and 4% creams. The market is thought to be worth about $20 billion annually, a figure covering legitimate and safe (or safer) products, counterfeits of those products, and the cheap soaps and creams that are most likely to contain mercury. The use of lightening creams and soaps is pervasive across large parts of the globe. The element is a frequent ingredient in a fast-growing market for lightening creams and soaps. But the black market finds ways. When applied topically, mercury is associated with the development of skin irritation, rashes, and discoloration, says Joshua Zeichner, director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. “When you are whiter in the Philippines, you are much prettier,” Reguyal said. When asked about its policy with these products, eBay gave Allure the following statement: "Consumers can shop eBay's one billion items with confidence, knowing we have key partnerships and processes in place with product manufacturers and regulators to ensure a safe shopping experience." Mercury is an inherently interesting element. And, in addition to what Zeichner noted, it can also cause anxiety, depression, and even psychosis. All of these health hazards have led to the banning of mercury by many countries, including all of those that make up the European Union. Links . Global cosmetics companies don’t use mercury; their lightening products typically contain derivatives of Vitamin C and hydroquinone that can temporarily impede melanin production and aren’t considered dangerous in small amounts. In gold mining, for example, it’s used to separate gold from ore in a process that, if not handled correctly, leads to mercury pollution. 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