title: Skin-lightening practices and mercury exposure in the Somali community.
abstract: Somali women often use creams and soaps to lighten skin tone, fade freckles or get rid of age spots. Use of these products raises a health concern, as some have been found to contain mercury. This article describes an investigation that involved interviewing Somali women about skin-lightening practices and the products they use and then testing those products for mercury. Twenty-seven samples of products purchased at markets in Minneapolis and St. Paul were analyzed bythe Minnesota Department of Health for specific mercury levels. Eleven of the 27 (47%) were found to contain mercury. Some exceeded the current FDA threshold of 1 part per million. This has prompted both state and federal health officials to issue warnings about the use of these products.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, USA.
authors.forename: Amira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Adawe
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Oberg
mesh_terms: D044383:Black People; D004340:Drug Contamination / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control*; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D007514:Islam; D008630:Mercury Poisoning / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D008910:Minnesota; D062327:Skin Lightening Preparations / Q000633:toxicity*; D012998:Somalia / Q000208:ethnology; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration; D001741:Black or African American
chemical_list: D062327:Skin Lightening Preparations