Health experts are warning consumers who use skin-whitening products to be especially careful about the potential effects of mercury poisoning.
CNN reported that the mother lost peripheral vision after prolonged use of the creams and also suffered from other adverse conditions including muscle weakness, insomnia and leg pain.
Through excessive use of these products, the woman unintentionally exposed her family members to high levels of mercury, which was found in her children's bedrooms, the laundry room at home, and even in bedding and towels, CNN reports.
d Erin Botdorf of the Minnesota Poison Control System told CNN. “But it is there, and you cannot see it, you cannot smell it. [Consumers] can't tell if [mercury] is in a cream because it's not on the label."
On the subject: Over 10,000 baby bottles and drinkers recalled due to risk of lead poisoning
First, the woman shared with health experts at the Minnesota Environmental Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) that she was shopping for groceries out of state; The agency found levels of mercury several thousand higher than those allowed by the US Federal Drug Administration and the Minamata Mercury Convention, an international agreement aimed at protecting the environment from mercury.
limit of 1 mg/kg mercury or 1 ppm except for cosmetic use around the eyes; Dietary concentrations in women's homes ranged from 4,590 to 18,000 ppm.
Health officials have found that other foods the women buy at the local market also contain high levels of mercury.
RELATED: Nearly 87,000 Disney-inspired costumes have been recalled due to the risk of lead poisoning.
Mercury is used in skin whitening products because of its ability to inhibit the skin pigment melanin.
Health experts are hoping to raise awareness of the issue as the ingredient is not found in products and are urging authorities to tighten controls.
Don't miss any news - sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up to date with the very best people have to offer, from hot celebrity gossip to spicy stories of public interest.
This issue is of particular concern to the Somali, Hispanic and Hmong communities living in the Minneapolis area.
“The use of skin lightening is currently a public health crisis in the Somali community and other communities of color,” Amira Adway, founder and CEO of The BeautyWell Project, told CNN. I get calls all the time from people with side effects. from Mercury.
Read the main article about people