The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has revealed that “the dangerous tide of prevalent and pervasive incidents of Nigerians using bleaching creams” continues to pose a threat to its attempts to protect Nigerians’ health.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, lamented the widespread use of bleaching creams, particularly among women, despite the danger associated with their use, in a speech at the launch of the North Central Zonal media sensitization workshop on the dangers of bleaching creams on Friday in Jos.
Read Also: Adeleke: Appeal Court Reinstates Position As Osun Gov
The Director General, who was represented by the Director of Chemical Evaluation and Research, Dr Leonard Omokpariola, stressed;
It is imperative for me to warn that some of the harmful effects of bleaching creams include cancer, damage to vital organs of the body, skin irritation and allergy, skin burn and rashes, wrinkles, premature skin ageing and prolong healing of wounds.
A World Health Organization (WHO, 2018) study revealed that the use of skin bleaching creams was prevalent among 77 per cent of Nigerian women which was the highest in Africa compared to 59 per cent in Togo, 35 per cent in South Africa and 27 per cent women in Senegal.
This scary statistic has shown that the menace of bleaching creams in Nigeria has become a national health emergency that requires a multi-faced regulatory approach.
