The National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Thursday decried the alarm about the usage of bleaching creams by Nigerian women.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, who spoke at a workshop on Dangers of Bleaching Creams and Regulatory Control organised by the Association of Nigerian Health Journalists in Kano, said the matter has become a national health emergency.
Adeyeye said the World Health Organisation (WHO) had in its 2018 study revealed the use of bleaching creams was prevalent among 77 percent of Nigerian women, the highest in Africa.
She said: “The World Health Organisation study in 2018 revealed that the use of skin bleaching creams is prevalent amongst 77 percent of Nigerian women, which is the highest in Africa compared to 59 percent in Togo, 35 percent in South Africa and 27 percent in Senegal.
“These scary statistics have shown that the menace of bleaching creams in Nigeria has become a national health emergency that requires a multi-faceted regulatory approach.”
The NAFDAC chief said the agency would train people on the harmful effects of bleaching creams in the country.