Determination and Assessment of the Toxic Heavy Metal Elements Abstracted from the Traditional Plant Cosmetics and Medical Remedies: Case Study of Libya

Abstract

Henna and walnut tree bark are widely used by Libyan women as cosmetics. They may contain lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As), which, in turn, pose a high risk to their health. This study aims to determine the levels of Pb, Cd and As in henna and walnut tree bark products sold in Libyan markets. The products were analyzed for their Pb, Cd and As content by using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a microwave acid digestion. The results showed a significant difference between the henna and walnut tree bark samples in terms of their heavy metals content (p < 0.05). The highest heavy metal concentrations were observed in the walnut tree bark samples whereas the lowest was observed in the henna samples. In addition, 60% of the henna and 90% of the walnut tree bark samples contained Pb levels and approximately 80% of the henna and 90% the walnut tree bark samples contained Cd levels, which are much higher than the tolerance limit. However, As concentrations in all the samples were lower. The results indicated that such cosmetics expose consumers to high levels of Pb and Cd and hence, to potential health risks. Thus, studying the sources and effects of heavy metals in such cosmetics is strongly recommended.

A systematic review on the skin whitening products and their ingredients for safety, health risk, and the halal status

“…The issue of hazard to health is sometimes being neglected or ignored. A study by Bobaker et al (2019) 27 indicated that such cosmetics might expose consumers to high levels of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) and potentially led to health risk. This issue proves that the element of toyyib is not being fulfilled.…”

Total Reflection X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (TXRF) Method Validation: Determination of Heavy Metals in Dietary Supplements

“…For Hg analysis, was utilized a dilute solution which contains 0.01 mol•L −1 of HNO 3 , 0.01 mol•L −1 of EDTA, and 10 μg•L −1 of Ga. All glassware was kept overnight in HNO 3 (10 % v/v) and rinsed several times with Millipore-Q water before its use to avoid cross-contamination. [3,20]. e present work utilized a digestion procedure using concentrated HNO 3 + HCl + H 2 O 2 for the determination of Pb, As, Cr, and Hg in six dietary supplements [2,24].…”

“…However, the excellent analytical sensitivity that ICP-MS allows is indisputable. Table 3 shows other methods that had better LODs than those achieved in proposed TXRF methods [3,19]. Nevertheless, these methods utilized a larger amount of samples and reagents for digestion procedures in comparison with TXRF_DS_1 and TXRF_DS_2 methods.…”

“…ey can be prepared from decoctions from fresh or dried crude herbs from algae or plants, but are usually made into different presentations, including powders, tablets, capsules, energy bars, and liquids [2]. e consumers believe that since these products contain ingredients that come from plants, they are safe and without any adverse effect [3]. However, many ingredients are derived from natural products, which can be toxic due to the presence of heavy metals.…”

“…e most common techniques used for the elemental analysis in dietary supplements include inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) [18], inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) [3,19,20], wavelength dispersive-x-ray fluorescence spectrometry (WD-XRF) [16], scanning electron microscopyenergy dispersive x-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDX), and ion chromatography (IC) [21]. However, to our knowledge, there is not any publication about the validation of an analytical method for heavy metals determination in dietary supplements by Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (TXRF).…”