A global mercury watchdog has found that the e-commerce giant Amazon is selling dangerously high levels of illegal mercury-containing skin lightening products (SLPs) in India, as well as in countries like Mexico and the UAE.
Out of eight samples tested, seven failed, showing mercury concentrations thousands of times higher than the legal limit in India. In contrast, only a few mercury-laden SLPs were identified on Amazon's websites in the United States and the European Union (EU). The Zero Mercury Working Group (ZMWG), an international organization, released a new report ahead of the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury (COP-6). The ZMWG is a coalition of over 110 public interest environmental and health non-governmental organisations from more than 55 countries.
The Minamata Convention on Mercury, adopted in 2013, is an international treaty aimed at protecting human health and the environment from the harmful effects of mercury and its compounds. India became a signatory to the convention in 2018.
The mercury concentration in the seven samples tested ranged from 7,331 ppm to 27,431 ppm, while only one sample had a concentration of less than 1 ppm. “The results indicate that multiple mercury-added SLPs are still widely available on the Amazon website, putting unsuspecting customers at serious risk,” stated Satish Sinha, associate director of Toxics Link, a partner of the ZMWG. The ZMWG and its partners purchased the suspected SLPs from Amazon's websites earlier this year in their respective countries. Out of 31 creams tested, 25 were found to contain mercury levels thousands of times greater than the usual legal limit of 1 ppm set by national governments and the ‘zero mercury’ standard established by the Minamata Convention. “The ongoing availability of highly toxic, non-compliant skin lightening creams on Amazon.in is a serious violation of national regulations,” Sinha added. He emphasised that Amazon must enforce its policies on prohibited products in India to prevent the sale of mercury-laden items.
Most of the products in India originates from Pakistan, Thailand and other countries. So far, there is no evidence against Indian manufacturers of SLP. According to the report, California’s government has reached a legal settlement requiring Amazon.com to enforce its prohibited product policies regarding toxic SLPs. However, ZMWG testing indicates that Amazon’s operations in over 23 countries, serving more than 100 markets, continue to allow these dangerous products. “This represents a double standard that disproportionately endangers consumers in the Global South,” said Sofia Chávez Arce, director general of Casa Cem in Mexico City.
Michael Bender, co-coordinator of the ZMWG, urged Amazon to apply the same third-party seller requirements globally as those imposed in the U.S. “Third-party seller requirements mean that sellers must test SLPs for mercury before they can be listed for sale and must adhere to Amazon's seller central requirements,” Bender explained.
