Health scare

A teenager was rushed to Kratie provincial hospital yesterday after the application of a skin-whitening cream left her unconscious, officials said, an incident that nearly became the second reported death in the Kingdom this year from such a beauty product.

Sambor commune chief Touch Samboeum said that 19-year-old Treas Terang began vomiting and convulsing immediately after applying the cream, which she had bought from a local market.

“She is lucky, because her family sent her immediately to the hospital for help. She is staying there now for additional monitoring,” he said.

The commune chief was unable to confirm whether the cream used by the victim was the Vietnamese brand Kim Lot Lanh Thom Cao Cap, which was banned from the Kingdom last year after its connection to the death of a 23-year-old in Banteay Meanchey province.

“It is very important for people to learn and be careful before using skin-whitening creams in order to avoid adverse effects to their health,” he said.

Bun Chhoeun said that Treas Terang would be released from the hospital after a few more days.