Mercury in Cosmetics: FDA Says Beware!

My dear friend Amy pointed out this article on MSNBC, which drew attention to an FDA report on mercury in skin-lightening products. If you are not aware, mercury is very toxic and accumulates in the body over time, causing some nasty health issues.

The FDA brief starts with:
Federal health officials are warning consumers not to use skin creams, beauty and antiseptic soaps, or lotions that might contain mercury.

The products are marketed as skin lighteners and anti-aging treatments that remove age spots, freckles, blemishes and wrinkles, says Gary Coody, national health fraud coordinator in the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Regulatory Affairs. Adolescents also may use these products as acne treatments, adds Coody. Products with this toxic metal have been found in at least seven states.

The products are manufactured abroad and sold illegally in the United States—often in shops in Latino, Asian, African or Middle Eastern neighborhoods and online. Consumers may also have bought them in another country and brought them back to the U.S. for personal use.

“If you have a product that matches these descriptions (and others listed below), stop using it immediately,” says Coody.

“Even though these products are promoted as cosmetics, they also may be unapproved new drugs under the law,” says Linda Katz, M.D., director of FDA’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors. FDA does not allow mercury in drugs or in cosmetics, except under very specific conditions, which these products do not meet.

That last part caught my attention. So just what uses *are* acceptable for toxic mercury to be in drugs or cosmetics? I spent about 15 minutes trying to search the FDA site for this information to no avail, but I did come across a terrifying report from 2002 on Phthalates. That's next up.

Mercury: the new cause for corn-cern

Straight from AOL:

"Mercury Found in Commerical [sic] Corn Syrup. Almost half of the corn syrup
tested in a new study contained mercury, according to HealthDay
News. And a third of commercial food products with corn syrup had mercury as
well. The studies focused on high-fructose corn syrup, known as HFCS, which is
often produced using caustic soda that contains mercury, the news service
reported."

One study, published in the Environmental Health journal, found detectable levels of mercury in nine out of 20 commercial HFCS samples. The other study found that one of every three brand-name foods, out of 55 tested, included mercury, HeathDay [sic] News reported. The most common foods with mercury were dairy products, dressing and condiments...

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, high levels of mercury can cause brain and liver damage. Short-term exposure to high levels of mercury can increase blood pressure and trigger rashes, eye irritation, nausea, vomiting and other health problems.

"Note to the FDA: Pull those annoying and misleading commercials about HFCS being "natural" and "healthy" so that people are not misled any further by the agribusiness lobby. I, for one consumer, have had enough. It's nasty, it's unhealthy and it's overused.