A recent report from the Zero Mercury Working Group has revealed that toxic mercury-laden skin-lightening products, despite being banned by a global treaty, are still being sold by major online retailers to unsuspecting consumers.
The report indicates that these hazardous SLPs are widely available in the global market, highlighting a failure to control the online sale of such products.
The Zero Mercury Working Group report found that 90 percent of 213 suspect SLPs purchased from 23 online platforms by NGO partners in 12 countries contained mercury concentrations above the 1 ppm limit mandated for cosmetics by many governments and the Minamata Convention, ranging from 1.18 to 74,800.00 ppm of mercury.
This report comes at a critical time as parties to the Fifth Conference of Parties of the Minamata Convention are preparing to discuss an amendment proposed by the Africa region to address enforcement loopholes and implementation failures related to mercury-added cosmetics.
The proposed African amendment aims to strengthen existing convention provisions by prohibiting the manufacture and trade of all “mercury-added cosmetics” and curtailing their marketing and advertising.
The report underlines the lack of effective controls preventing the online sale of mercury SLPs.
The report also recommends that COP5 establish regulations for mercury compounds and make them subject to trade restrictions.
Mercury lightens the skin but can lead to harmful effects, including rashes, skin discoloration, and blotching, and can enter the body through the skin, inhalation, or orally.
It is highly toxic to humans, especially the developing nervous system, as well as harmful to ecosystems and wildlife populations.
Charline Cheuvart, mercury policy officer at the European Environmental Bureau, noted that once approved, the African amendment would help strengthen the treaty and close loopholes that allow the advertising, display, and indiscriminate sales of mercury-added SLPs, reflecting a commitment to “Make Mercury History.”
The Zero Mercury Working Group is an international coalition of over 110 public-interest environmental and health non-governmental organizations from more than 55 countries.
