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MANILA, Philippines — An underarm whitening cream sold online was found to contain dangerous levels of mercury, EcoWaste Coalition said on Sunday.
The environmental group said it bought Q-nic Care Whitening Underarm Cream online for P120 before testing the product with an X-Ray fluorescence analyzer.
It found that the cream, which was manufactured in Thailand, contained 6,109 parts per million (ppm) of mercury—above the 1-ppm limit of the Asean Cosmetic Directive for heavy metal contaminants in cosmetics.
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“The detection of mercury in more underarm creams is problematic as many Filipinos are fond of using products to lighten the armpits,” said Aileen Lucero, national coordinator of EcoWaste.
Exposure to mercury can result in numerous health impacts, according to the World Health Organization, including damage to the kidneys and nervous system as well as skin problems.
The group said it has reported its findings to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as it also called on authorities to strictly enforce the ban on mercury-added products based on the Minamata Convention on Mercury.
The Minamata Convention on Mercury is a global treaty that entered into force in 2017 and aims to “protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury.”
EcoWaste also noted that it previously found two other underarm whitening creams containing high levels of mercury, which were 88 Total White Underarm Cream and Snow White Armpit Whitening Underarm Cream.