Panama hosted the Regional and Global Workshop on Eliminating Mercury in Skin-Lightening Products, a technical event co-organized by PAHO.

Panama City, 27 February 2026 - Skin-lightening products (SLPs) are widely used to reduce melanin levels, often to achieve a lighter complexion. However, many of these products contain hydroquinone, steroids, and fruit acids, along with hazardous substances such as mercury. To promote the elimination of mercury in skin-lightening products, the Climate Change and Environmental Determinants of Health Unit of the Department of Social and Environmental Determinants for Health Equity of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), together with the PAHO/WHO Country Office in Jamaica, co-organized a technical workshop in Panama. The objective was to share the results of activities carried out by countries in surveillance, analysis, and policy development, as well as behavioral studies and prevention actions related to mercury-containing skin-lightening creams in the Caribbean and other regions of the world.

This exchange of best practices is essential to strengthening surveillance and protecting consumers from hazardous substances, as well as determining how to reduce and prohibit the illegal trade of mercury-containing products, reinforcing the actions outlined under the Minamata Convention. PAHO urges countries to eliminate harmful products, promote safety standards, and implement measures to control trade and distribution.

The workshop is linked to the project Elimination of Mercury in Skin-Lightening Products, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) with support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and implemented by PAHO/WHO and the Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI), with technical support from UNEP's Global Mercury Partnership. The project includes one country from the Region of the Americas, Jamaica, and two others from Africa (Gabon) and Asia (Sri Lanka). PAHO highlighted the serious public health risks associated with mercury-containing skin-lightening products and reaffirmed its support for Jamaica's efforts to protect people from exposure to this highly toxic substance.

"Skin-lightening products continue to be widely used in various regions of the world, and in the Americas this is an issue that we need to address with stronger support from countries. Global prevalence is estimated at around 27%, with figures that can exceed 70% in certain contexts. Mercury, a highly toxic metal associated with kidney damage, neurological disorders, dermatological effects, and risks to child development, is already the focus of work in areas such as reducing its use in illegal mining, controlling medical devices like thermometers, and decreasing the use of dental amalgam," said PAHO's Regional Chemical Safety Advisor, Luis Francisco Sánchez Otero.

Additionally, the regional advisor emphasized that "mercury contaminates and harms the environment, and its residues can even enter our bodies through the food chain, generating persistent environmental impacts. Our countries have gradually adopted and ratified the Minamata Convention, which includes the progressive elimination of products with added mercury, including cosmetics such as skin-lightening creams."

Initially, this meeting was scheduled to take place in Jamaica; however, the emergency situation and the impacts caused by Hurricane Melissa made it necessary to seek alternatives that would ensure continuity in the project's final activities. The Government of Panama agreed to host the event, with support provided by the PAHO/WHO country office.

Following the regional workshop, the global closing workshop of the Elimination of Mercury in Skin-Lightening Products project was held, with the participation of representatives from the project's pilot countries. Skin-lightening products are used by both women and men across different age groups and communities in Jamaica, Gabon, and Sri Lanka. Recent national survey data indicate that more than one in ten Jamaicans report having used skin-lightening products, underscoring the potential scale of exposure and the public health relevance of the issue.

Participants from 8 countries of the region

PAHO and WHO, together with UNEP, BRI, and other experts, emphasized during both the regional and global workshops that effectively addressing this issue requires coordinated action across multiple sectors and stakeholders, including collaboration among Ministries of Health, Environment, Economy and Legal Affairs, Education, customs agencies, and consumer protection authorities.

Approximately 50 participants attended both events in Panama, including representatives from eight invited countries-Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Mexico, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago-primarily from ministries of health and environment, considering their status as signatories to the Minamata Convention or as countries with high use or production of SLPs.

Regional and international experts from Antigua and Barbuda, the University of the West Indies (Mona and St. Augustine campuses), the University of California, Santa Barbara, the California Department of Public Health, and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) will also participate. Additional participants include government representatives and WHO officials from the GEF project countries outside the LAC region (Gabon and Sri Lanka), the PAHO/WHO Jamaica National Advisor on Social and Environmental Determinants of Health and the project manager, PAHO's Regional Chemical Safety Advisor, and Panama's National Environmental Health Officer.