Prenatal and Early Postnatal Intoxication by Inorganic Mercury Resulting from the Maternal Use of Mercury Containing Soap

Lauwerys, Robert; Bonnier, Christine; Evrard, Philippe; Gennart, J P; Bernard, Alfred

doi:10.1177/096032718700600316

Cited by 54 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 18 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…One study reported the effect of mercury on the reproductive system following dermal exposure [50]. It examined the case of a woman who had used a soap containing 1% mercury as mercuric iodide and a mercury containing cream during pregnancy and lactation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accumulation of Mercury in Ovaries of Mice After the Application of Skin-lightening Creams

Al‐Saleh

Shinwari

Al-Amodi

2009

Biol Trace Elem Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Skin-lightening creams are being increasingly used by women in particular, worldwide in an attempt to whiten their skin. Men and older people use these creams to remove age spots or other pigmentation disorders. Several studies have reported the presence of high mercury levels in skin-lightening cream. Women, especially pregnant and nursing mothers, who use these creams are at risk of mercury toxicity because long-term exposure can cause permanent neurological damage, nephrological disorders, fertility problems, and birth defects. Early exposure usually has no clinical symptoms. Mercury levels were measured in a total of 49 ovary tissue samples. The mean mercury contents in the ovaries of non-treated mice (11.70 +/- 13.38 ng/g) were compared to mice treated with Rose skin-lightening cream samples (2,471.92 +/- 1,336.31 ng/g) and those treated with Fair & Lovely skin-lightening creams (58.47 +/- 39.51 ng/g). The mercury content in the ovary tissues increased with number of cream applications and were highest in the ovaries of mice treated twice a day with Fair & Lovely (87.79 +/- 26.20 ng/g) and once a day with Rose (3,515.61 +/- 1,099.78 ng/g). Our data indicate that dermal exposure to mercury can result in a significant accumulation in the ovaries of mice following the application of skin-lightening cream. This may cause alterations in reproductive behavior and contribute to infertility or ovarian failure. Of course, these results need to be confirmed by further research. Imported or locally made skin-lightening creams are widely available in Saudi market. It would be ideal to ban the sale of these creams but unfortunately, advertisements in the mass media presenting celebrities and beauty specialists make these products more popular. Alternatively, public health authorities should encourage more reliance on prescribed creams for the treatment of skin pigmentation problems.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accumulation of Mercury in Ovaries of Mice After the Application of Skin-lightening Creams

Al‐Saleh

Shinwari

Al-Amodi

2009

Biol Trace Elem Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Mercury can be substantially absorbed after external use and is a potential developmental toxin (Lauwerys 1987).…”

Section:  Mercury Compoundsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dermatological medications and local therapeutics

Schaefer¹,

Kirtschig²

2015

Drugs During Pregnancy and Lactation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…The authors explained this surprising finding with the use of mercury soap (6). A case-rapport described a child with a range of typical mercury induced birth defects and a documented extensive use of mercury soap by the mother during pregnancy and lactation (7). Several such case-reports and smaller publications do exist in the medical literature.…”

Section: By: MD Rasmus Køster-rasmussenmentioning

confidence: 99%