The National Food and Drug Administration's NAFDAC reiterated the need for Nigerians to minimize exposure to harmful chemicals used to bleach their skin.
According to the agency, a World Health Organization and WHO survey found that 77% of Nigerian women use skin bleaching creams, compared to 59% in Togo, 35% in South Africa and 27% in Senegal. , whose number was found to be the highest in Africa. .
NAFDAC Executive Director Her Professor Mojisola Adeyeye made the disclosure Friday in a speech at his media-enhancing workshop for the North-Central Zone on Bleaching Cream Hazards and Regulatory Control in Jos, Plateau.
DG said Dr. Leonard Omokpariola, IAEA Director of Chemicals Evaluation and Research, said the threat of whitening creams in Nigeria has become a national health emergency requiring a multifaceted regulatory approach. described as a frightening statistic.
Adeyeye emphasizes:
“We immediately took some decisive steps such as sensitization of the public through different media outlets, enforcement through intelligence and raids in trade fair complexes that have resulted in large seizures and destruction of violative products…
“This sensitization workshop is a training the Trainers' programme with the great expectation that participants will assume role of champions in the vanguard of the campaign against use of bleaching creams… 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 use of skin bleaching creams was prevalent among 77 percent of Nigerian women which was highest in Africa compared to 59 percent in Togo, 35 per cent in south Africa and 27 percent 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…”
The Director, North Central zone of the Agency, Pharm. Mohammed Shaba, the Director of Public Affairs, Dr. Abubakar Jimoh, Deputy Directors in the Agency, Anto Ebele and Linda Halim respectively called on the media to join hands with the Agency to fight the menace of bleaching among Nigerians as NAFDAC alone cannot do it.
Participants at a day event, drawn from various media houses were taken through topics like An overview of skin bleaching:
The NAFDAC perspective, Role of mass media in promoting public health in Nigeria, Safe handling of chemicals and ingredients in the cosmetics industry, and The cosmovigilance best practices, NAFDAC's regulatory control of cosmetics in Nigeria.”
There was also a question and answer session as the Agency's officials give explanations to issues raised.