Open Letter to Ghana Food and Drug Board – Toxic Cosmetic Products in Ghana

I refer to the interview by the Ghana Standards Board in which the Board mentioned the high content of hydroquinone in some cosmetic products in Ghana (Ref: Ghanaweb, Sept. 5, 2006). I have written several articles on Ghanaweb highlighting this problem, hoping that the Ghanaian authorities will recognize the problem and take action. On May 12, 2006, I wrote a letter on this issue and sent by registered mail to the Ghana Food and Drug Board with copies to other interested agencies. I followed up this letter with a meeting with the Deputy Director in charge of drugs and cosmetics at his office in Ghana on 25th May 2006. I was assured at that meeting that the Board will initiate action to remove all toxic cosmetic products from the market at the end of July 2006. So far, no action has been taken. The Ghana Standards Board’s authority is to set the standards for the country but cannot prosecute the offenders. The Ghana Food and Drug Board is charged with the responsibility to conduct market surveillance and prosecute the offenders. So far, the Food and Drug Board has chosen the do-nothing approach in the face of overwhelming evidence that toxic chemical products are being administered to unsuspecting Ghanaians through the cosmetic products they are using. I reproduce below, my letter to the Ghana Food and Drug Board sent on May 12, 2006. God help Ghana!.

May 12, 2006

The Director
Ghana Food and Drug Board
P. O. Box CT 2783
Cantonments, Ghana

Dear Sir:

Re: Harmful Hydroquinone Products in Ghana

I am a citizen of Ghana and the President of Hawknad Manufacturing Industries, a cosmetic manufacturing company in Alexandria, Virginia, in the United States of America. Hawknad Industries manufactures various cosmetic products including Clear-N-Smooth skin care products.

As part of our competitive activities, we have recently taken keen interest in analyzing the skin toning creams sold in Ghana. I have attached, below, a Table that summarizes the findings by a USFDA certified laboratory. I have also attached copies of the certified lab test certificates.

Product Name	Tested Lot Number	Mfg. Date	Expiration Date	Hydroquinone Content	Percentage Over Safe Level
Claire PLUS	B/N01	N/A	03/08	4.89%	145%
Clair Extra	E124.150.0015	10/05	10/08	3.59%	80%
Cherie Claire Maxi-Tone	D47121	14/11/05	13/11/08	3.81%	91%
G&G Beauty Cream	D49213	14/01/06	13/01/09	3.73%	87%
Peau Claire	1665	02/06	02/08	4.94%	147%
Clair-Liss	Lot:91	02/06	02/08	4.60%	130%
Body Clear Creme	E01.125.0005	01/06	01/09	3.09%	55%
Skin Light	CSL D15	03/3006	03/2009	5.38%	169%
Sivoclair	2133	02/06	02/08	4.58%	129%
Maxi Light Cream	D45777	18/10/05	17/16/08	3.71%	86%

As you can see, the test results are quite horrifying. The astonishing fact is that all the hydroquinone creams imported from the Ivory Coast in our study contained very harmful quantities of hydroquinone. In Ghana, just as in the United States, the maximum permissible level of hydroquinone by law is 2%. The reason for this is that the United States Food and Drug Agency has determined that when consumers use products containing more than 2% hydroquinone over a long period of time, they develop skin problems such as contact dermatitis, hyper-pigmentation, skin coloration, etc. It therefore baffles me that, under your watch, Ghanaians are importing and freely distributing 5% toxic hydroquinone creams with impunity. In fact, some Ghanaian importers have so much disregard for the Food and Drug Board that they are now fearlessly importing and freely distributing toxic Cocoa Butter Creams that contain 5% hydroquinone. We will address the list of unwholesome cocoa butter creams in our next letter.

We all know that the more hydroquinone one puts in a cream the faster the cream works as a skin-lightening product. The ignorant consumer sees a 5% hydroquinone product as the best not knowing that, in reality, it is the worst health hazard. Some manufacturers and importers are taking advantage of this consumer ignorance to double-dose and triple-dose on hydroquinone in order to increase their market share. The result is what both of us see, Ghanaian ladies walking around with ‘mutilated’ faces and bodies. The blame lies in the hands of unscrupulous Ghanaian importers and the Ghana Food and Drug Board that seem to lack the backbone to act decisively to protect the health and safety of Ghanaians. Another area where the Ghana Food and Drug Board has failed Ghanaians is consumer education. Consumer education means the Food and Drug Board should conduct tests on actual market samples of products and publish a weekly or monthly list of unwholesome products. It is quite ridiculous for the Board to assume that market samples of products have the same qualities as the special samples presented by distributors/manufacturers to the Board for registration purposes. Because of the seeming impotence of the Ghana Food and Drug Board in addressing the issue of extremely high hydroquinone levels in Ghana, we have taken it upon ourselves to initiate the consumer education process in Ghana. We are going to purchase advertising space in the major Ghanaian newspapers to publish our findings this month. Our goal is to start a national debate on this issue and together solve this problem once and for all. One of the reasons why importers are required to register with the Board is to enable the Board to contact them in case there is a problem with their products. We urge the Board to collect market samples and conduct its own investigations within the shortest time possible. If any product is found to contain toxic levels of any chemical, the Board should act swiftly and decisively to protect the health and safety of Ghanaians. This can be done through: • Publication of a list of ‘toxic’ cosmetic products in the major newspapers on a periodic basis, say monthly. • Seizure of those ‘toxic’ cosmetic products in the warehouses of the distributors to prevent further introduction into the market • Supervised recall of the ‘toxic’ products from the market by the Food and Drug Board.

• Seizure of those ‘toxic’ cosmetic products by the Board with the help of the police

• Border/port enforcement to prevent importation of ‘toxic’ cosmetic products to Ghana, especially from the Ivory Coast.

Sir, we are bringing these matters to your attention because we care for the health and safety of our fellow Ghanaians. We have the option of joining the unscrupulous businessmen by quietly introducing 5% hydroquinone products on the market but we have chosen to do the right thing. We have put the health, safety, and well-being of Ghanaians ahead of the lust for money. We will not endanger the lives of Ghanaians for monetary gain. We have taken a principled stand on this issue and we will continue to carry out tests on the Ghanaian market to identify unwholesome cosmetic products and publish the list in the major newspapers on a periodic basis. We have given you information on what we have identified as ‘toxic’ cosmetic products on the Ghanaian market. Your mandate is to act swiftly to protect the health and safety of Ghanaians. We trust that you will also do what you must do to protect the health and safety of Ghanaians.

Sincerely,

Charles O. Dankwah President

Cc: The Honourable Minister, Ministry of Health, Box M44, Accra, Ghana

Cc: The Honourable Minister, Ministry of Trade and Industries, Box M47, Accra, Ghana

Cc: The Executive Director, Ghana Standards Board, Box MB 245, Accra, Ghana Box MB 245, Accra,

Charles O. Dankwah