In an effort to stop the trade of mercury-laced beauty products, a Manila councilor has said he would file an ordinance that would ban these cosmetics and impose penalties on violators as soon as the new city council starts holding sessions.
“This unlawful trade of dangerous cosmetics loaded with mercury has been embarrassingly going on for years and has to be stopped once and for all,” Councilor Numero Lim said in a statement issued on Sunday.
His move was prompted by the latest test conducted by EcoWaste Coalition that showed that 15 whitening creams imported from Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China contained mercury, a toxin that targets the nervous system in levels above the allowable limit of one part per million (ppm).
The products, which cost between P80 and P320, were bought on Saturday from drug stores in Binondo, Divisoria, Quiapo and Sta. Cruz in Manila, and from a store in Cubao, Quezon City. The group detected mercury ranging from 286 ppm to 59,000 ppm in the 15 samples, 10 of which were earlier banned by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), the statement said.
“I’m sure Mayor Erap [Joseph Estrada], Vice Mayor Isko [Moreno] and my fellow councilors will throw their unequivocal support behind such urgent action to curb mercury exposure from cosmetics and protect public health,” Lim said.
“Consumers need to be wary of skin lightening products, particularly those which are not properly labeled and registered, as these often contain undisclosed quantities of mercury that can cause [poor] health,” said Aileen Lucero, acting national coordinator of EcoWaste Coalition.
Lucero added that exposure to mercury in skin-whitening products could damage the kidneys and also result in skin rashes, skin discoloration and scarring, as well as reduce the skin’s resistance to bacterial and fungal infections.
The group appealed to the cosmetics industry to respect the rights of consumers to product information and product safety as it reported its latest findings to the FDA through its “Consumer eReport Facility on Cosmetic Products.”
At the same time, Lucero called on the Department of Health to intensify post-market surveillance, sue violators and update the list of banned cosmetics for the guidance of importers, distributors, retailers and consumers.
Among the 15 samples found laced with excessive levels of mercury were:
• Yudantang ginseng and green cucumber 10 days whitening speckles removed essence, 59,000 ppm.
• Yudantang 10 specific eliminating freckle spot and double whitening sun block cream, 50,000 ppm.
• Beauty Girl egg white and tomato 6 days specific eliminating freckle whitening cream, 39,400 ppm
• Natural Orange whitening and antiaging package, 37,000 ppm
• Hengxueqian whitening set, 25,300 ppm
• S’Zitang 10 days eliminating freckle day and night set, 6,499 ppm
• S’Zitang 7 days specific eliminating freckle AB set, 5,233 ppm
• Bai Li Tou Hong cream, 4,463 ppm, and
• Jiaoli 7 days eliminating freckle AB set, 3,764 ppm.