National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has said that bleaching creams are major causes of cancer, permanent skin aging as well as prolonged wound healing and other health challenges.
NAFDAC director-general, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed this yesterday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, while declaring open the South-South zonal media sensitisation workshop on dangers of bleaching creams and regulatory control.
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Adeyeye, who was represented by the director of Chemical Evaluation and Research, Dr Leonard Omokpariola, said the menace of bleaching creams in Nigeria has become a national health emergency that requires a multi-faceted regulatory approach.
The NAFDAC boss said: “It is imperative for me to warn that some harmful effects of bleaching creams are not limited to, but including cancer, damage to vital organs of the body, skin irritation and allergy, wrinkles, permanent skin aging, prolonged wound healing.
“A World Health Organization (WHO) 2018 study revealed that the use of skin bleaching creams was precedent among 77 percent of Nigeria’s women, which was the highest percent in Africa when compared to 59 percent of women in Togo, 35 percent of South African women and 27 percent of women in Senegal.
“These scary statistics have shown that the menace of bleaching creams in Nigeria has become a national health emergency that requires a multi-faceted regulatory approach.”
In his remarks, the agency’s director of Public Affairs, Dr Abubakar Jimoh, disclosed that over 600 journalists in Nigeria have been trained on the dangers of bleaching creams.
Jimoh said, “We have decided to embark on the workshop because we have seen the dangers associated with bleaching creams. After the sensitisation, we will embark on raids and enforcement. So far, over 600 journalists have been trained across the country.”
Earlier in his welcome address, NAFDAC’s acting south-south zonal director, Chike Obiano, lauded the agency’s director-general for ensuring that the zonal media sensitisation workshop was a success.