An investigation on the lead and cadmium content of cosmetics and sanitary products- a case study of toothbrush

Abstract

Accordingly, this study was conducted to investigate the concentration of lead and cadmium of different toothbrush brands. For this purpose, a total number of 20 toothbrushes from different brands were taken randomly. The concentration of lead and cadmium in the toothbrushes was then specified using Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS), model AAS 6200. The samples were prepared based on the technique of acid digestion. According to the results, the average concentration of lead and cadmium in the toothbrushes were 0.13 μg g−1 and 0.02 μg g−1, respectively. The highest and lowest concentrations of lead in the samples were 0.44 μg g−1 and o.o1 μg g−1, respectively. The highest and lowest concentrations of cadmium were 0.15 μg g−1 and 0.01 μg g−1, respectively. In general, the concentration of lead and cadmium in all the toothbrushes was lower than the standard limit of 2002/94 / EC. There was observed a significant relationship between the concentration of lead and cadmium and the color of toothbrushes (P<0.05). The toothbrushes of red color contained the highest concentration of lead while the minimum content was found in the blue-color samples. The highest and lowest cadmium concentrations were found in the while and blue toothbrushes, respectively. Given the fact that even relatively low levels of exposure to heavy metals can lead to serious damage to human health, more comprehensive research is essential in the field of raw materials used in the manufacture of toothbrushes as widely used sanitary products in communities. It is also necessary to measure the concentration of heavy metals in the products in order to ensure the safe levels of harmful materials.