Table VIII Systemic Exposure Dosage and Margin of Safety of Metals in Cosmetics Obtained by Using 50% Bioaccessibility Sample (brand name and type) As Pb Hg Cd Ni As Pb Hg Cd Ni Systemic exposure dosage Margin of safety BJ 7 d (body cream) ND 3.9441 0.0033 0.1956 3.716 ND 0.0066 4.6019 0.0292 0.1507 Tee Tee 3 d (facials) ND 0.0445 ND 0.0039 0.013 ND 1.1685 ND 1.44312 42.938 Aquasulf (body cream) 0.0375 6.0697 ND 0.6426 2.7078 0.8003 0.0086 ND 0.00887 0.2068 Skin Guard Aloe vera (body cream) 0.0286 6.582 ND 0.3981 3.2339 1.0476 0.0079 ND 0.01432 0.1732 Acrec way (body cream) ND 2.4586 ND 0.1606 6.391 ND 0.0211 ND 0.03548 0.0876 Ceedym acne (facials) 3E-05 0.0275 ND ND 0.0064 922.29 1.8924 ND ND 87.966 Authentic herbal cream (body cream) 0.0033 2.0861 0.0026 ND 2.0302 9.2037 0.0249 11.714 ND 0.2758 Chioral restoration (body cream) ND ND ND 0.7776 ND ND ND ND 0.00733 ND Magic herb (body cream) ND 3.8858 ND ND 3.0803 ND 0.0134 ND ND 0.1818 Cyndy herb crystal (hair cream) 4E-06 0.003 ND ND 0.0023 7,816.6 17.619 ND ND 244.81 New Jerusalem (body cream) 0.003 3.3457 ND 0.014 0.8661 9.9117 0.0155 ND 0.40803 0.6466 Dr Elechi omega 7 (body cream) 0.0044 2.3888 0.0023 ND 5.802 6.7817 0.0218 12.885 ND 0.0965 Grace palm herbal balm(hand cream) ND 0.0133 ND ND 0.0518 ND 3.9215 ND ND 10.812 Anti-wrinkles cream (body cream) 0.0049 4.9266 ND 0.0256 4.5308 6.1358 0.0106 ND 0.22256 0.1236 Hip up cream ND 3.1827 ND 0.007 1.7415 ND 0.0163 ND 0.81606 0.3216 Hand D. cream (hand cream) ND ND ND 3E-05 0.0369 ND 0.001 ND 184.109 15.174 Heel balm (heel Balm) 5E-08 1E-05 ND 2E-07 2E-05 598,086 4,029.5 ND 25,000 35,289 Lip balm feel (lip balm) ND ND ND ND 4E-05 ND ND ND ND 13,065 Deep relief (body cream) ND 3.3115 ND ND 0.9616 ND 0.156 ND ND 0.5824 Candy anti-spot (facials) ND 0.01 2E-05 ND 0.0044 ND 5.1872 1,760.7 ND 125.97 RISK ASSESSMENT OF METALS AND METALLOIDS IN COSMETIC IN NIGERIA 439

JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE 440 These might vary by country (US, CANADA, EU, and Asia), but they are established. The impurity level can be reduced with adherence to good manufacturing practices (4). In the present study, the heavy metal and metalloids concentrations in analyzed samples arranged in descending order were Pb Ni Cd As Hg, respectively. This may have been from impurities and contaminants from the raw materials lead was the most pre- dominant. Its concentration was higher than that of all the other metals investigated. Similar fi ndings have been reported by other workers, showing the predominance of lead in different brands of kohl samples purchased in local markets in Tunisia and Pakistan, respectively (15,16). The lead concentration range of 0.283–2.873 mg/kg is higher than the threshold limit value of 0.05 mg/l set by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienist for inorganic lead and lead chromate (17). The concentration of lead was within a safe range when compared with 10, 20, and 10 mg/kg limits set by Health Canada and the Indian Government Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Cosmetics Section Committee of the Bureau of Indian Standards (18). Previous studies in cosmetics and body creams in Nigeria have reported similar concentrations of lead. Studies carried out by Oyedeji et al. (19) and Sani et al. (20) found concentrations of 0.1–0.9 mg/kg and 0.05–0.14 mg/kg of lead in cosmetics which are lower than the concentrations found in the present study. However, Orisakwe and Otar- aku (1), Iwegbue et al. (2), Nduka et al. (8), and Omenka and Adeyi (21) found 1.2–9.2 mg/kg, 12–24 mg/kg, 0.1–4.12 mg/kg, and ND-468 mg/kg concentrations of lead in cosmetic products in Nigeria which were higher than those found in the present study. In cosmetics from Saudi markets, Pakistan, and Malaysia, respectively, Al-Saleh et al. (4), Ullah et al. (15), and Rusmadi et al. (22) found 0.49–1.793 mg/kg, 1.74–1,071 mg/kg, and 0.002–0.114 mg/kg of lead, respectively. Lead poisoning has been recognized as a major public health risk. Exposure to lead pro- duces various deleterious effects on the hematopoietic, renal, reproductive, and central nervous system, mainly through increased oxidative stress (23). Chronic toxicity is char- acterized by persistent vomiting, encephalopathy, lethargy, delirium, convulsions, and coma (24). Once lead enters the body, it is distributed in organs such as the brain, kid- neys, liver, and bones. The body stores lead in the teeth and bones where it accumulates over time. Lead stored in bone may be remobilized into the blood during pregnancy, thus exposing the fetus. Undernourished children are more susceptible to lead because their bodies absorb more lead if other nutrients, such as calcium, are lacking (25). Health Canada, the Bureau of Indian Standards, and the United States Food and Drug Administration have set 3, 2, and 3 mg/kg, respectively, as the safe concentration of arse- nic through dermal exposure (18,26). All cosmetic cream samples in this study were within this safe limit set for arsenic. Nduka et al. (8) and Nasirudem and Amaechi (27) found 0.002–0.005 mg/kg and 0.11–1.00 mg/kg, respectively, in cosmetic samples in Nigeria. In Sudan, Sabah et al. (28) found 1.504–6.796 mg/kg range of arsenic in cos- metic products which is signifi cantly higher than the concentration found in the present study. Arsenic is a widely distributed environmental pollutant with known carcinogenic and neurotoxicant effects (29). Arsenic occurs in inorganic and organic forms. Inorganic arsenic compounds (such as those found in water) are highly toxic, whereas organic arse- nic compounds (such as those found in seafood) are less harmful to health. The immediate symptoms of acute arsenic poisoning include vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. These are followed by numbness and tingling of the extremities, muscle cramping, and death, in extreme cases. Skin lesions and hard patches on the palms and soles of the feet