Mercury poisoning associated with beauty cream--Texas, New Mexico, and California, 1995-1996

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 1996 May 17;45(19):400-3.

Abstract

The Texas Department of Health (TDH), New Mexico Department of Health (NMDH), and San Diego County Health Department (SDCHD) recently investigated three cases of mercury poisoning among persons who had used a beauty cream produced in Mexico. The investigations implicated the beauty cream as the source of the mercury. The cream, marketed as "Crema de Belleza--Manning," lists "calomel" (mercurous chloride) as an ingredient and was found to contain 6%-8% mercury by weight. This report summarizes the ongoing investigation of these and other possible cases.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • California / epidemiology
  • Cosmetics* / adverse effects
  • Cosmetics* / chemistry
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mercuric Chloride / analysis
  • Mercury Poisoning / epidemiology*
  • Mercury Poisoning / etiology
  • Mexico
  • New Mexico / epidemiology
  • Texas / epidemiology

Substances

  • Cosmetics
  • Mercuric Chloride