A California woman has been hospitalized after using a
Pond’s-labeled face cream that had been tainted with a poisonous form of
mercury, the Sacramento County Department of Health Services said in a news
release.
The woman, whose identity has not been made public, bought
the skin-lightening cream through an “informal network” from Mexico, and the
methylmercury was added to the cream by a third party, officials said in the
statement.
The woman has slipped into a semi-comatose state, officials
said. According to NBC affiliate KCRA, her son said she’s been hospitalized
since July.
“This is the first reported case of methylmercury poisoning
of this type linked to a skin cream in the United States,” said SCDHS.
A #Sacramento woman is in the hospital in a semi-comatose
state after using a Pond’s-labeled skin cream tainted with methylmercury. This
is the 1st reported case of methylmercury poisoning of this type linked to a
skin cream in the US.
A company spokesperson told NBC News that it does not use
mercury in its products.
“We take this matter very seriously and work closely with
all authorized retailers to be sure products remain intact and safe for use
from shipment to shelf,” Pond’s said in a statement to PEOPLE. “Illegitimate
sales, product tampering and reselling are beauty industry issues that deserve
close attention and consumer awareness. The product in question is not sold in
the U.S. We are concerned about the woman who had this experience and are
working with authorities to investigate the matter. “
Methylmercury has been known to cause damage to the nervous
system, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can
caused developmental abnormalities and cerebral palsy among children born to
women poisoned with methylmercury.
“Sacramento County Public Health urges the community to
immediately stop using similar skin creams imported from Mexico due to the risk
of contamination with methylmercury,” Sacramento County Public Health Officer
Dr. Olivia Kasirye said in the SCDHS statement. “Methylmercury is extremely
dangerous to adults and children.”
Officials said in the statement that symptoms of
methylmercury poisoning include memory loss, depression, fatigue headaches, and
more. Symptoms among children include pink hands and feet, flaking skin, high
blood pressure, and rash.
“Sacramento County Public Health is working closely with the
California Department of Public Health to test similar creams in the
Sacramento-area for methylmercury,” officials said in the statement.
Over the last nine years, there have been over 60 poisonings
linked to a foreign brand, unlabeled, or homemade skin creams that contained
toxic chemicals like mercury, mercurous chloride or calomel in California.
Authorities have urged anyone who uses imported skin creams
from Mexico to stop use immediately, place the cream in a sealed back, take it
to a doctor, and get tested for mercury.
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