Medsafe is warning the public about high levels of mercury and lead in skin whitening or lightening creams after a case of possible mercury poisoning was reported.
The Ministry of Health is warning these three products are unsafe to use: Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene, Goree Day and Night Beauty Cream Oil Free, and Golden Pearl Beauty Cream. Photo: Supplied / NZ Ministry of Health / Brunei Ministry of Health
The director-general of health issued a statement with the support of the Ministry for the Environment, advising against the use of three particular products; Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene, Goree Day and Night Beauty Cream Oil Free, and Golden Pearl Beauty Cream.
"The products are unsafe and should not be available to the public."
High levels of mercury and possibly high levels of lead were found in samples of one of the products after a patient in the Upper North Island had advised they had used them.
Two other similar products that were tested were also found to contain high levels of mercury and of lead.
The quantity found in samples varied between 12,200 part per million (ppm) to 24,900ppm of mercury and 0.1ppm to 17,200ppm of lead.
As well as being in breach of the international conventions on limiting mercury in cosmetic products to 1ppm, the levels of the chemicals would make the products prescription medicines, Medsafe said.
"Mercury, and mercury salts are not permitted to be included in cosmetics in New Zealand, except in some limited circumstances," it said.
"The products do not have consent for distribution as medicines in New Zealand, and the quality, safety and effectiveness of these products has not been established."
As a result of the finding, Medsafe has seized some skin whitening creams containing mercury from a trader in Auckland.
The ministry is hoping to reach other traders and users of the product, who may be unaware of its harm, through this alert.
Aside from the physical side effects, the ministry is also concerned that the mercury in these products may end up in wastewater, from where it can enter other waterways and then the food chain through fish.
People are advised to return the products to the place that you bought them from if possible, or contact your local landfill or council to find out how you can safely dispose of them.
Anyone who has suffered any adverse effects from using these products should contact their local healthcare professional for advice and let them know they have been using a product which has high levels of mercury and possibly high levels of lead.
The ministry said it was also aware of that Brunei's Ministry of Health had also alerted people about the presence of mercury in two of the products two years ago.
Anyone purchasing similar products, either here or from the internet, should take care because the presence mercury is often not disclosed but included as an added ingredient, the ministry said.
Signs of mercury and lead poisoning
Mercury poisoning symptoms vary widely depending on how you are exposed and for how long but include toxic effects on the nervous, digestive and immune systems, and on the lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes.
More information is available on the ministry's website.
Lead poisoning symptoms also vary but for children, it may affect their neurological development and their gastrointestinal and nervous systems.
More on lead can be found here.