Concentration of Heavy Metals, Namely Lead, Cadmium, and Chromium, in Hair Color Available in the Markets of Qom, Iran

  Background & Aims of the Study: Heavy metals, such as cadmium, lead, and chromium, are common environmental pollutants; however, they are used in various cosmetics. Regarding this, the aim of the present study was to measure the concentrations of lead, cadmium, and chromium in the hair colors available in the markets of Qom, Iran. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was performed on 12 hair color brands (i.e., 7 domestic and 5 foreign brands). Three popular colors were chosen from each brand and purchased from randomly selected famous stores located in four districts of the city. After preparing the samples, the levels of lead, cadmium, and chromium were measured by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (μg/kg). Collected data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 22) using independent t-test to compare the amount of heavy metals in different brands at a p-value of 0.05.     Results: The level of lead in the studied hair colors was higher than those of cadmium and chromium. In this regard, cadmium level was lower than the detection limit of the device and was about zero. In addition, the lead and chromium levels in hair colors were estimated at 552.37-11.5 and 35.12167-62.97, respectively. Furthermore, the mean weight of chromium and lead in Iranian hair color was significantly higher than that in the foreign ones. Conclusion: Regarding the potential impacts of heavy metals on health and their accumulation property, it is required to perform comprehensive interventions to raise the awareness of the society in this regard.

کلیدواژه ها:

Heavy Metal ، Cosmetic ، hair color