Unlabeled Skin Creams from Mexico Could Hold Mercury Danger

People should avoid using skin creams in unlabeled or hand-labeled containers from Mexico following reports of mercury poisoning associated with the products, the state's health department warned Thursday.

The creams are used for lightening skin, for fading freckles, blemishes and age spots, and for treating acne, the state Department of Public Health said in a news release. They come in containers without labels or with hand-made labels.

Some creams are light in color and turn dark gray/green after prolonged exposure to light. Some of them have contained more than 200,000 times the legal limit of . . .