Mexican Beauty Creams Linked To Mercury Poisoning
Warning!
A couple of Mexican beauty products might be the cause of six cases of mercury poisoning in El Paso and 44 throughout the state.
“You need to stop using these products immediately,” said El Paso public health epidemiologist Fernando Gonzalez.
Gonzalez says “Crema Antiedad y Desmanchadora” and “Crema Aguamary” are easily found on the Internet and imported from Mexico.
Nowhere on the list of ingredients does it say mercury, a toxic metal responsible for at least 44 cases of poisonings in Texas.
Besides looking like plaster, health officials say there’s another red flag: These products don’t have any type of number or registry or ID.
These creams have been found to contain up to 130,000 parts per million of mercury. The amount of mercury the FDA allows in such products is one part per million.
”Whatever you put in your skin is the same amount you’ll be putting in your bloodstream,” warned Gonzalez.
Cream users have reported signs and symptoms of nervousness, irritability, tremors and renal failure.
“Last time we used anything like that as dermatologists was 20, 30, 40 years ago, ” said El Paso board certified dermatologist Dr. Peter Herman. He says mercury is strongly regulated in the United States now but not in foreign countries.
“Quality control of those same products over there is not the same as this country and so we strongly discourage use of things like that, even brand-name products,” said Herman.
Remember, if you have used these creams. stop. To properly dispose of the contaminated product, call Texas Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
Signs and symptoms frequently reported by cream users include:
? personality changes
? nervousness
? irritability
? tremors
? weakness
? fatigue
? excessive sweating
? mouth, tongue or gum ulcers/sores
? elevated blood pressure
? memory loss
? pins-and-needles sensations in extremities
? severe pains or cramps in arms and/or legs
? muscle aches
? excess protein in the urine
? renal failure
