SACRAMENTO, Calif. (WTHR) — A Sacramento woman is in a semi-comatose state after using a Pond's cream that was tainted with methylmercury.
When tested, the woman had high levels of mercury in her blood, which caused symptoms like "numbness, tingling of the fingers and toes, slurring of speech, and difficulty of walking, headache," according to Dr. Olivia Kasirye, Sacramento County Public Health Officer.
The woman had more than 2,000 micrograms per liter — the average person shouldn't have more than five micrograms.
In this specific case, the Pond's cream was purchased in Mexico, but the California Department of Public Health is working to test other creams in the area for methylmercury, ABC10 reported. The methylmercury is not something that was added by the Pond's manufacturer. In the past nine years, California has seen 60 mercury poisonings linked to skin cream.
"In general, people do need to be aware and careful of the kinds of products they buy, especially what we know as a lot of the products that have been found to have these additives from other countries such as Mexico, Afghanistan, South Asia," said Kasirye.
Health officials urge consumers to buy products from reputable companies.
