Beastly Beauty Products: Exposure to Inorganic Mercury in Skin-Lightening Creams

Beastly Beauty Products: Exposure to Inorganic Mercury in Skin-Lightening Creams

Understanding Branches Out Insights into PBDE Impacts on Brain Development Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants and their hydroxylated metabolites are structurally similar to thyroid hormone. A detailed study now provides one of the most insightful assessments to date of how environmentally relevant levels of PBDEs may impair brain development by interfering with thyroid hormon...

Mercury Levels in Locally Manufactured Mexican Skin-Lightening Creams

Mercury is considered one of the most toxic elements for plants and animals. Nevertheless, in the Middle East, Asia and Latin America, whitening creams containing mercury are being manufactured and purchased, despite their obvious health risks. Due to the mass distribution of these products, this can be considered a global public health issue. In Mexico, these products are widely available in p...

Skin-lightening practices and mercury exposure in the Somali community.

Somali women often use creams and soaps to lighten skin tone, fade freckles or get rid of age spots. Use of these products raises a health concern, as some have been found to contain mercury. This article describes an investigation that involved interviewing Somali women about skin-lightening practices and the products they use and then testing those products for mercury. Twenty-seven samples o...

Characteristics of Mercury Intoxication Induced by Skin-lightening Products

Minimal change disease following exposure to mercury-containing skin lightening cream.

A 34-year-old woman developed nephrotic syndrome after using a skin lightening cream that contained an extremely high level of mercury. Blood and urine mercury levels were elevated and a renal biopsy revealed minimal change disease. Membranous nephropathy was excluded using immunofluorescence and electron microscopy. Her proteinuria remitted 9 months after she stopped using the cosmetic cream. ...