... Bleaching is a public-health emergency
Bleaching is to be of greater interest than just a talking piece for Afrocentrism and debates about self identity and colonialism.
Bleaching is a Public Health Emergency.
Jamaican ports are notoriously porous and each year tons of contraband enter the country through the combined efforts of criminal importers and their “links at the wharf”.
Unsurprisingly, many of the bleaching drugs are not vetted by the Ministry of Health before they find their way on the streets and in wholesalers’ inventories. Many of these products contain chemicals such as mercury, hydroquinone, and steroids. These chemicals are dangerous and are heavily regulated due to the health concerns. Yet they find their way into the bleaching products, often in dangerous levels.
One study found that, the concentration of mercury in Caribbean-born blacks and Dominicans was up to twice as high as that in whites and other ethnic groups. Bleaching was thought to be the major contributing factor in this observation.
Mercury is a highly toxic heavy metal. Poisoning can come from merely inhaling it, much less rubbing it on the skin daily. It primarily affects the nervous system, the gastrointestinal system and the kidneys.
The US Food and Drug Administration limits the amount of mercury in most cosmetic products to one part per million. Compare that to the finding of 10,000 parts per million found in 45 per cent of the 549 skin-lightening products tested by one group. We simply do not know what the mercury levels are in our bleaching products because we have not been looking into this from a public-health perspective.
Steroid use thins the skin and causes acne, dermatitis, and ochronosis – damage to the skin leading to intense darkening. I have seen patients with
... We cannot continue to ignore the potential health hazards
chemical burns requiring treatment because of homemade concoctions of bleaching creams used on the skin. High doses of steroids applied to the skin can be absorbed and result in depressing the production of steroids made by the body for its needs.
I have had to take the stance that I will not perform elective surgery on active bleachers because of the complications with wound healing that I have observed in that population.
Colleagues in obstetrics have observed an increased risk of complications during pregnancy among bleachers. And then, there is the potential increased susceptibility to skin cancer due to our tropical location. Hydroquinone may damage our DNA, one of the initial steps in cancer development. But all these observations are either personal observation or armchair logic. More research is needed.
Unfortunately, the conversation has focused on why people bleach, rather than the dangers associated with the practice. Anthropological research is welcomed, especially if we are to craft a public-health policy to address the dangerous practice, but that is not enough.
Persons are being harmed by this growing practice, and we don’t know how exactly so. What we can all see clearly is that it is addictive. And like any other addiction, there are psychological and social consequences. We need to know the long term effects of bleaching and not just wait for other countries to provide the data when the horse has already bolted.
Already, some governments are taking action to address the growing trend. In Nigeria, where 78 per cent of women bleach their skin on a regular basis, the government has banned products with high amounts of hydroquinone and mercury. South Africa and Kenya have followed suit.
As these governments are being proactive, so have the major manufacturers of these products. Celebrity endorsements and huge advertising budgets guarantee that sales will continue to rise despite the pushbacks.
We cannot continue to ignore the potential health hazards that a significant number of Jamaican males and females are exposed to with this new cultural norm.
The debate needs to move from discussing blackness in beauty pageants to properly investigating the products available locally with harmful chemicals and taking steps to curb their unregulated importation. This is not just about Garveyism; Dr Kenneth Standard is also turning in his grave.