Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – A Minnesota woman has lost some vision and unintentionally put her entire family at risk of mercury poisoning. The reason is likely due to the use of cosmetic creams, which contain high levels of the toxic chemical, according to a report published exclusively by CNN.
The report, shared by Dr. Erin Patdorf, revealed the mother’s systemic symptoms and how home visits conducted by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) found high levels of mercury in children’s bedrooms, laundry areas, towels and toilet paper. beds.
“People have no idea,” Patdorf, a medical toxicology associate who examined the woman at her home, told CNN, “No one wants to intentionally harm themselves or their family members. There’s no way to know if mercury is in creams or not, because it is not indicated on the labels.
The woman was referred to Patdorf’s team after several doctors reported a range of symptoms, ranging from insomnia and pain in her legs, to muscle weakness and fatigue, and eventually loss of peripheral vision.
Clinical tests have revealed elevated levels of mercury in blood and urine.
Patdorf explained that the most common symptom he encounters from possible mercury poisoning is tingling or numbness in the patient’s hands or feet. She described the woman’s loss of vision as “the most serious symptom”.
“She’s not going to get her sight back,” Patdorf told CNN. “As a young woman who is currently blind, it’s really scary and worrying.”
The toxicologist added that there are likely to be many people exposed to toxic levels of mercury who have not yet developed symptoms.
Experts believe the source of the mercury in the incident with the woman was cosmetic creams, many of which are intended to whiten skin, which were found in the family’s home, and “Batdorf” and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency visited the woman’s house twice , within a year.
During the first visit, the team was shown skin-whitening cosmetic creams that the woman had purchased outside the United States, but she said she no longer uses them in products, according to the team.
At the time, the agency did not consider the mercury levels in her home to be a concern, but over the course of a year, the woman’s body had elevated levels of mercury.
Mercury-containing cosmetic products are still easily accessible in malls and local markets across the United States and through online retailers, experts say.
Patdorf and other experts are calling for increased awareness and regular testing of products, with stricter regulations to help address this issue.
In 2020, a health scare was issued in Minnesota after a woman developed kidney damage, rashes and other symptoms, including insomnia and depression, after using skin-whitening creams which again failed to detect which contained mercury.
widespread problem
Screening studies conducted by the Minnesota Department of Health’s (MDH) Vital Surveillance Team between 2015 and 2019 also found elevated levels of mercury in the urine of several people who used skin-whitening products, including pregnant women.
Findings from previously unpublished studies shared exclusively with CNN show that follow-up home visits to some of these women revealed high levels of mercury vapor in the air, particularly in their washing machines.
“Anyone using a skin lightening product that contains mercury will, unfortunately, put their entire family at risk,” Patdorf said. “There is no way to guarantee that no mercury contamination will be passed on to other family members. that’s how mercury works.”
