The case of a woman who got mercury poisoning from skin lightening cream

In a new report, CDC scientists describe the case of a 47-year-old Mexican-American woman who had a form of mercury poisoning from using skin lightening cream. The FDA has issued warnings about such products, but they continue to be popular among many non-white communities. In this instance, the woman was admitted to hospital after experiencing slurred speech and unsteadiness. Lab tests revealed that the level of a certain kind of mercury in her blood was nearly 300 times the upper limit for exposure. The amount of mercury in her urine was also abnormally high. Scientists learned that the patient had been applying a skin lightening face cream twice daily for seven years. The CDC is working to identify the original source of the mercury compound, and monitoring a family member of the woman with less severe mercury exposure.