The Minamata Convention on Mercury, a multilateral environmental agreement that aims to ensure the protection of human health and the environment against anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and its compounds into the air, water and land. Article 4 of the Convention prohibits the manufacture, import or export of skin-lightening products containing mercury concentrations above 1 μg/g. However, there is a lack of knowledge surrounding the global prevalence of mercury-added skin-lightening products.
In the just concluded conference of parties COP5 that took place Geneva, Switzerland, the Parties to the Convention agreed to phase-out the manufacture, import or export, trade and use of skin lightening cream containing mercury by 2025. Skin lightening creams is multi-billion-dollar industry that targets mostly women around the globe, and the operations of these industries must stop at least by then.
Hazardous mercury-added skin-lightening products (SLPs) has been widely sold worldwide by some of the biggest online retailers to unsuspecting consumers as revealed by a new report conducted by Zero Mercury Working Group and partner including Bio Vision Africa (BiVA). Mercury is a toxic heavy metal. Women who use skin-lightning products that contain mercury can suffer neurological side effects, and develop depression and anxiety. Now that the world is in the right path to making mercury history in the body beauty sector, everyone should concentrate on raising sufficient awareness on consumption of beauty products to put an end to global racism and colorism that raises preference for fairer skin tone.
BiVA is proud to be part of the African region who played a big role, through their proposed amendment, seeking to address the enforcement and implementation gaps related to mercury-added cosmetics. We are ready to collaborate regionally and internationally to make mercury history.
The writer works with Bio Vision Africa as Program Office, Chemicals Management & Gender Desk [email protected]
