Slightly raised mercury levels have been found in three women who used Youdi skin-whitening cream, following warnings to consumers to stop using the product.
The three women, aged 34, 50 and 52, have been advised to seek specialist treatment.
The Department of Health has received 209 calls from concerned users of the product since the warning was issued on Friday. Thirty-five women have so far been screened.
A department spokeswoman said it was too early to tell if the cream was the cause of the raised levels of mercury detected in the three women. 'The mercury levels in our bodies vary from day to day and it depends on the body's condition and diet,' she said.
Department community medicine consultant Thomas Tsang Ho-fai urged consumers to stop using the cream immediately after a 32-year-old domestic helper was admitted to hospital for poisoning attributed to the product's high mercury levels.
Tests on 14 bottles of Youdi Eliminating Freckle Cream seized by Customs officials last month showed a mercury content ranging from 7,000 to 21,000 parts per million.