WEBINAR - Mercury in skin-lightening products: towards the 2020 deadline

The UNEP Global Mercury Partnership and its Area of work on Mercury in Products, in cooperation with the World Health Organization, organized on 30 November 2020 a webinar to focus on the issue of mercury in skin lightening products. The event looked into the adverse effects of these products, shared information, and discussed some of the practices, experiences as well as challenges faced by countries and other stakeholders in meeting the 2020 deadline for phase out under the Minamata Convention.

Moderated by the Global Mercury Partnership Secretariat, the event featured the following panelists:

Opening 

• Rodges Ankrah, US Environmental Protection Agency, Co-chair of the Global Mercury Partnership Advisory Group
• Thomas Groeneveld, US Environmental Protection Agency, Coordinator of the Global Mercury Partnership Area on Mercury in Products
• Marianne Bailey, Programme officer for capacity-building and technical assistance, Secretariat of the Minamata Convention

Overview of current knowledge on mercury in skin-lightening products 

• Ellen Rosskam, Consultant, Chemical Safety and Health Unit, World Health Organization
• Phylicia Ricketts, Lecturer, Department of Physics, Radioecological lab, University of the West Indies, Mona
• Michael Bender, Mercury Policy Project Director and Zero Mercury Working Group co-coordinator
•  David Lennett, Senior Attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council

​Panel discussion: Experiences and lessons learned from countries 

• Lakshman Gamlath, Deputy Director General, Environment Health and Food safety, Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka
• Anne Nakafeero, Senior District Support Officer, National Environment Management Authority and Minamata Convention National Focal Point, Uganda
• Isabelle Mananga Ossey, Founder, Label Beauté Noire, France

Closing 

• Thomas Groeneveld, US Environmental Protection Agency, Coordinator of the Global Mercury Partnership Area on Mercury in Products 

Useful resources

• Global Mercury Partnership Area on Mercury in Products webpage
• WHO (2019), Mercury in skin lightening products, Information Note (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish)
• WHO (2020), Mercury Skin Lightening Products, Animated Video (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish)
• ZMWG webpage on Mercury-added skin lightening campaign