Mercury in skin-care products in India and consumer exposure risks

Pramanik, Supriti and Kumar, Mukesh and Qureshi, Asif (2021) Mercury in skin-care products in India and consumer exposure risks. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, 121. p. 104870. ISSN 0273-2300

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Abstract

We report concentrations of mercury in skin-care products in India and the associated health risks. Mercury concentrations were 0.11 μg/kg (median; 5th percentile–95th percentile = 0.04–0.58 μg/kg; n = 24) in body lotions, 0.22 μg/kg (0.04–0.38 μg/kg, n = 10) in moisturizing lotions, 0.67 μg/kg (0.30–1.33 μg/kg, n = 8) in blemish balms, 0.16 μg/kg (0.06–7.43 μg/kg, n = 11) in bleaches, 0.13 μg/kg (0.04–0.98 μg/kg, n = 34) in skin lightning (fairness) creams manufactured within the country, and 9.24 × 106 μg/kg (2.92 × 106–3.17 × 107 μg/kg, n = 14) in imported skin lightning (fairness) creams, much higher than the 1 ppm (1 ppm = 103 μg/kg) regulatory limit. Probabilistic human health risk assessment for adult women (age > 21 y) revealed that computed hazard quotients from dermal exposure to the high-mercury fairness creams were >100 in all cases. The mass of mercury entering into the society via skin-care products is highly sensitive to the mass of high-mercury fairness creams that is imported to India; ten tonnes of import can introduce 29–317 kg of mercury every year. As such, analysis and labeling of mercury contents in skin-care products by manufacturers, and raising awareness among regulatory authorities to restrict the import of high-mercury fairness creams, is required.

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