Ministry to pace up efforts to check use of mercury

Islamabad : The climate change ministry would pace up its efforts in collaboration with UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to check free-wheeling use of mercury in different economic and health sectors.

According to the details, the skin-whitening creams identified as containing potentially dangerous levels of mercury continue to be sold in the markets despite concerns being raised by the health experts.

The ministry announced in October last year that it had a proper plan for abandoning the sub-standard whitening creams without causing any kind of losses to the cosmetic industry in the country.

It is pertinent to mention here that various imported skin-whitening creams being sold in Pakistan have been banned in the developed countries due to their harmful impacts on human skin.

The ministry would conduct a workshop that would be attended by skin experts and CEOs of the national and international brands to advocate the phasing out of mercury from cosmetic products.

The climate change ministry in its report prepared by Bushra Afzal, Sajid Raza, and Dr. Zaigham Abbas in 2018 stated mercury content in skin whitening creams exceeding the permissible limit (1ppm) should be considered potential risk to human health and their manufacturing, sale and use should be phased out at the earliest.

The spokesman of the ministry said the government has no plan to shut down the cosmetic industry but instead planned the elimination of toxic cosmetic products from the market.

He said that those who manufacture and sell counterfeit cosmetics are also playing with the health of the people who use such products without having knowledge about their adverse effects.