Uganda To Ban Bleaching Creams

KAMPALA, Tuesday Uganda is set to follow Kenya’s example and outlaw dozens of popular creams and soaps used by African women to lighten their skin, as awareness grows of their harmful side effects, officials said yesterday. In May, Kenya’s Bureau of Standards banned the sale of more than 80 products containing chemicals like hydroquinone, mercury and corticosteroids, many of them manufactured in the West, to protect “unsuspecting consumers and stamp out dumping.” Uganda’s National Bureau of Standards said it was drawing up a similar ban, and also wanted to launch a national awareness campaign to teach people the dangers of these products. “We are also taking steps to see that they are banned in Uganda,” said Eve Kasirye-Alemu, director of Uganda’s bureau. “We have prepared a statutory instrument which is about to come into force,” she said. Millions of women in Africa use creams and soaps containing hydroquinone and mercury to lighten their skin colour, believing that it makes them more beautiful. However, more and more of them are discovering the long-term damage the creams can cause, as their skin starts to burn, itch or blister, becomes extremely sensitive to sunlight and eventually turns even darker than before. Dermatologists say prolonged use of hydroquinone and mercury-based products destroys the skin’s protective outer layer. It can damage the nerves, lead to kidney failure or skin cancer, and so prove fatal. Even more dangerous can be home-made concoctions, a popular recipe in Tanzania called “mkorogo” uses egg yolk, avocado, a drop of detergent, a drop of bleach, and cocoa butter, all mixed with a mercury-based skin lightening soap. Bertha, a barmaid in Dar es Salaam, said she used “mkorogo” because “a lighter skin means beauty and most men go for white women.” After a year, her face was covered in rashes and her friends started shunning her. But experts warn that a ban alone is not enough. The products can still be seen on the shelves of chemists and supermarkets in downtown Nairobi, three months after they were outlawed, and are still on sale in Tanzania despite their ban in 1996. In Uganda, mercury-based products were first banned in 1989, but soon crept back into the market. “There was no follow-up, the legal framework and enforcement was not strong. Now a lot of capacity has been built, so we are going to make sure awareness is created,” Kasirye-Alemu said. Ends