Several varieties of antiseptic soaps and skin lotions making claims to not only clean the skin, but remove wrinkles and freckles and lighten the skin’s complexion, as well, may be cosmetic products illegally imported into the United States, according to a consumer warning issued by the Food and Drug Administration. These products may contain high concentrations of mercury. The warning has been issued in response to multiple reports of mercury poisoning originating from at least seven states, including a Californian woman who was hospitalized for mercury poisoning after using a skin lotion of an unknown brand for a period of three years. Other members or the woman’s household who did not use the lotion had abnormally large amounts of mercury in their bodies. Young children could inhale mercury vapors emanating from the skin of a lotion or soap user in close proximity and become ill. Mercury poisoning can cause kidney and nerve damage and may impair the brain development of small children and unborn fetuses.
The Food and Drug Administration has advised that consumers avoid using skin care products that list the ingredients mercury, mercurio, mercuric, mercurous chloride, or calomel; products that have labels written in languages the user is unable to read properly; and products that have no ingredients labels at all.
As a personal injury lawyer in San Francisco, I hope no one else is harmed by this potential health hazard, and I hope the people poisoned by these products recover fully. If you have been harmed by a contaminated or defective product, please consider contacting a Bakersfield personal injury attorney.
The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers about the dangers of mercury in common household products.
Specifically, their warning targets antiseptic soaps and skin lotions that purport to get rid of wrinkles and freckles while cleaning the skin. The FDA has said that many such products contain mercury and are a public danger. Although such items are barred from being imported into the United States, they still make their way onto shelves by way of international travelers and via the mail.
Immigrants are more at risk than most, as the contaminated products typically wind up in shops geared toward that demographic.
This announcement was issued in the wake of dozens of people testing positive for mercury poisoning across seven states. This includes family members of the product users who touched the affected person or breathed in the odors from the item. Mercury poisoning can lead to kidney damage, nervous system damage, and hindered brain development in children.
The FDA does have a few tips designed to help a consumer avoid mercury. Avoid products without an ingredient lists, products that say they contain calomel or other words that start with “mercur,” and labels without ingredients listed in English.
I’m glad to see mercury poisoning awareness come to the fore of the public consciousness as a San Bernardino personal injury lawyer. We must always be careful that the items we use conform to the safety guidelines laid out by the government, and if they don’t, then we must steer clear. It’s my hope as a personal injury attorney in Fresno that no one else gets hurt from products that contain mercury.
A Mexican beauty cream has been recalled by Chihuahua State Health Risks Commission after several poisoning cases were documented, according to recent news sources.
Texas Department of Health Services officials reported 44 mercury poisoning cases in relation to the beauty cream.
The cream, called Crema Aguamary, can cause personality changes, nervousness, irritability, tremors, elevated blood pressure, memory loss, pins-and-needles sensation in extremities, severe pains or cramps in arms and/or legs, muscle aches, excess protein in the urine, and renal failure.
Health agency officials in Juárez are currently searching for the product in stores to remove it from shelves. The public is encouraged to report sales of the cream. No poisoning cases have been reported in Mexico.
As a product defect lawyer, if you or a loved one has been injured because of a defective cosmetic product, I suggest you seek medical attention right away. It can also be just as important to contact a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer as soon as possible because you may be entitled to monetary compensation as a result of getting injured because of a defective or recalled product. You should also remember that the longer you take to contact someone about your case the more chance you have to lose evidence.
