Dr. Patrick Parsons, Director of the Wadsworth Center’s Division of Environmental Health Sciences, was invited to present on the analysis of mercury-containing skin-lightening creams at the 14th Annual Meeting of AOAC INTERNATIONAL in Indianapolis, Indiana, on September 1, 2026. The use of mercurial compounds to treat skin conditions or lighten skin has occurred for centuries. Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned mercury in cosmetics at concentrations above 1 part per million (ppm) in 1973, mercury-containing skin-lightening creams continue to be illegally imported and sold in New York City bodegas.
In 2001, while collaborating with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) on the first New York City Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Dr. Parsons’ laboratory identified 13 participants with unusually high levels of mercury in their urine. Follow-up investigations by NYC DOHMH traced the source to mercury-containing skin-lightening creams, some of which contained more than 6,000 ppm mercury. More recently, concerns have emerged that some such creams may be adulterated with methylmercury, a form of mercury that is substantially more toxic than inorganic mercury. In response, Dr. Parsons’ laboratory developed a chemical-speciation method to distinguish methylmercury from inorganic mercury. The method was developed and validated for blood samples, and later adapted for use with skin-lightening cream products. At the request of NYC DOHMH, the Wadsworth Center performed mercury-speciation analysis on 20 skin-lightening cream products obtained in the New York City area. The analysis found inorganic mercury in 15 of the 20 products, but no methylmercury. Twelve products had mercury levels ranging from 4.6 ppm to over 100,000 ppm – far above the FDA limit of 1 ppm.
The method-development work was conducted by Dr. Emily Pacer as part of her doctoral project under the mentorship of Dr. Parsons, with assistance from Dr. Christopher Palmer.