Natural and Conventional Cosmetics—Mercury Exposure Assessment
Aleksandra Podgórska,
Anna Puścion-Jakubik,
Anita Grodzka,
Sylwia K. Naliwajko,
Renata Markiewicz-Żukowska,
Katarzyna Socha
Affiliations
Aleksandra Podgórska
Department of Bromatology, Faculty of Pharmacy with the Division of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Białystok, Mickiewicza 2D Street, 15-222 Białystok, Poland
Anna Puścion-Jakubik
Department of Bromatology, Faculty of Pharmacy with the Division of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Białystok, Mickiewicza 2D Street, 15-222 Białystok, Poland
Anita Grodzka
Department of Bromatology, Faculty of Pharmacy with the Division of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Białystok, Mickiewicza 2D Street, 15-222 Białystok, Poland
Sylwia K. Naliwajko
Department of Bromatology, Faculty of Pharmacy with the Division of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Białystok, Mickiewicza 2D Street, 15-222 Białystok, Poland
Renata Markiewicz-Żukowska
Department of Bromatology, Faculty of Pharmacy with the Division of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Białystok, Mickiewicza 2D Street, 15-222 Białystok, Poland
Katarzyna Socha
Department of Bromatology, Faculty of Pharmacy with the Division of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Białystok, Mickiewicza 2D Street, 15-222 Białystok, Poland
Mercury (Hg) can enter the human body through the respiratory tract and digestive system, but also through the skin. Sources of Hg in the environment can be natural processes, but also human activities, including agriculture, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. Hg can also enter the body through food, but also with cosmetics that are used for a long time. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the Hg content in 268 randomly selected cosmetics: Natural and conventional, for face and body. Hg content was determined using an atomic absorption spectrometer (AMA 254, Leco, Prague, Czech Republic). It was shown that the face preparations were characterized by a significantly higher Hg content than the body preparations. No differences in the content of the tested element were found between natural and conventional preparations. Hg could be detected in all samples with concentrations measured from 0.348 to 37.768 µg/kg.
