Mercury In Personal Products
Are You Applying A Mercury Compound To Your Face Or Body?
You should avoid contact with thiomersal, a known allergen and mercury compound. Thiomersal is found in many personal and household products. Choose natural products.
Are You Applying Mercury To Your Face Or Body?
You should avoid contact with thiomersal, a known allergen and mercury compound. Thiomersal is found in many personal and household products.
Soaking Up The Mercury In Personal Products
Thiomersal, a mercury compound, got some attention a few years back when it was noticed as an ingredient in vaccines. This compound continues to be widely used in cosmetics, personal products including baby products, cleansers, topical medications, medical injections and skin prick test preparations.
Typical personal products that have thiomersal as an ingredient include cosmetics, make-up removers, cleansers, ointments and moisturizers. Optic and ophthalmic solutions, contact lens solutions, contact lens cleansers and sprays, also have been found to contain mercury and thiosalicylate. You may find thiomersal in products that are meant to stay on the surface of the skin such as skin lighteners, sunscreen, mascara, cream eye shadow and some mascara.
Other Names For Thiomersal
It is up to the consumer to spot thiomersal or its other names on labels for personal and household solutions. The compound thiomersal can be found under different names in common products and these names include:
- Ethyl (2-mercaptobenzoato-S) mercury sodium salt
- [(o-carboxyphenyl)thio] Ethyl mercury sodium salt
- Mercurochrome
- Mercurothiolate
- Merthiolate
- Sodium ethylmercurithiosalicylate
- Thimerosal
- Thiomersalan
Irritation can occur when a product containing thiomersal is applied to the skin. Both the active ingredients, mercury and thiosalicylate, can cause irritation or dermatitis. The dermatitis must be cared for properly. The dermatitis should not be allowed to spread or to become infected.
Who Is A Silly Consumer?
Who is sillier? The ladies who used to paint white lead on their faces for a whiter complexion or modern day consumers who do not bother to read the labels and unwittingly apply a mercury compound or other toxic chemical onto or into their face or body?
An Informed Consumer Is The Safest Consumer
If you want to protect your family and yourself from harsh chemicals and compounds in your personal and household products, it is up to you to read the label to find out what is in the formula. Unless a product announces that it is made from a natural or organic formula, you should not be surprised to find a harsh, synthetic or toxic chemical as one or more of the ingredients.
You can find natural and organic products in the health food stores, grocery stores and department stores. You can make your own personal products and household products from all natural recipes and save money. Using natural products, such as natural personal products and natural cleaners, will reduce the amount of harsh chemicals that are absorbed by your skin and the environment.
