[Hygienic evaluation of the content of heavy metals (lead and copper) in cosmetic products].

Heavy metals /lead and copper/ content was studied in various cosmetic articles: creams and cleansing milk, shampoos, hair dyes, eye shadows, rouge, lipsticks, powders, fond de teint, tooth pastes. The method flame atom-absorption spectrometry with chelation and extraction was used for their determination. The subacute dermal toxicity on albino rats was studied with working doses: lead--1,10 and 100 mg/kg, and copper--5,50 and 500 mg/kg. The content of lead and copper was established to be low in the majority of the cosmetic articles studied /lead--to 2.08 mg/kg, copper--to 6,28 mg/kg/and only in some of the articles of decorative cosmetic, it is considerably higher /lead--to 41,1 mg/kg, copper--to 138,6 mg/kg. That is due to the inadequate purification of the initial raw materials or to the presence of copper-containing dyes in the composition of the respective cosmetic article. As a result from the toxicological and pathoanatomical studies the small doses /lead 1 mg/kg and copper 5 mg/kg are defined as ineffective, and the high doses--with a light biological effect. The maximum allowable concentration of lead is proposed to be--10 mg/kg, and copper--50 mg/kg as side /technical/ pollutants in the production of cosmetic articles.