RISK ASSESSMENT OF HEAVY METALS IN SOME COMMONLY USED COSMETICS IN RIVERS STATE NIGERIA

Cosmetics mostly used for beautification more often possess some health risk due to the presence of some heavy metals that can infiltrate into the cosmetics during the process of production or as a result of it been a component of the of the raw materials. The work assessed the health risk of heavy metals in cosmetics commonly used in Rivers State, Nigeria. Twenty-two samples of different cosmetics comprising of ten lipsticks, seven foundations, three eyeliners and two Otanjele (khol) were purchased in Rivers State, digested and analyzed for the following heavy metals Pb, Cd, Zn, Cr, Cu, Co, and Ni using a Varian AA 240 Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry. Heavy metals concentrations in the cosmetics were in the range of Pb; ND - 0.24 ±0.06mg/kg, 0.15 ± 0.03 - 0.30 ± 0.02 mg/kg, 0.22 ±0.08 - 0.28±0.02mg/kg and ND - 0.31±0.01mg/kg in lipsticks, foundation, eyeliner and otanjele respectively. Zn: 0.15 ±0.006 - 20.62 ±0.35mg/kg, 0.34±0.04 - 6.45±0.10 mg/kg, 0.36±0.03 -0.53±0.09mg/kg and 0.68±0.01-1.12±0.06mg/kg in lipsticks, foundation, eyeliner and otanjele respectively). Co was not detected in any of the cosmetics, Cd: 0.64±0.00 - 1.42±0.31mg/kg, 0.62±0.08 - 1.15±0.03mg/kg, 0.73±0.03 - 0.95±0.03mg/kg and ND in lipsticks, foundation, eyeliner and otanjele. None of the metals exceeded the available permissible limit for heavy metals. The health risk associated with the heavy metals were assessed using margin of safety. Hazard quotient and hazard index. The margin of safety for Cu in lipsticks and foundations and Zn in foundations exceeded the permissible limit of 100 approved by WHO. The Hazard Quotient (HQ) of all the metals were less than 1 indicating low health risk in each of the exposure pathways.