Bleaching Now National Health Emergency, Says NAFDAC


Posted on: Sat 25-03-2023

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has disclosed that its efforts aimed at safeguarding the health of Nigerians is still threatened by “the dangerous tide of rampant and pervasive cases of Nigerians using bleaching creams”.

Speaking on Friday in Jos at the flag-off of North Central Zonal media sensitization workshop on the dangers of bleaching creams, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, decried the pervasive use of bleaching creams especially among the women despite the danger inherent in its usage.

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.”