Lead Based Hair Products: Too Hazardous for Household Use

Results

The hair coloring products were categorized into two groups: those containing lead acetate and those containing organic dyes. The results for both are listed in Table 1 (below).

The average lead concentration of products containing lead acetate as an active ingredient was 3,530 mcg per gram with a range of 2,299 to 5,954 mcg per gram. Note that this list includes hair coloring cosmetics that are available in New Orleans and is not an all-inclusive list of lead acetate-- containing coloring agents. Table 1 also includes a small sample of the available hair coloring cosmetics that contain organic dyes. The amounts of lead found in these products were below the limit of quantitative determination (LQD).(11)

Table 2 (below) lists the test results of the hand wipe and surface wipe samples. Tests were conducted on a cream, a foam, and a liquid form of the products containing lead acetate. Note that results of hand wipe samples are given in micrograms per hand, and results of surface wipe samples are given in micrograms per square foot.

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TABLE 1: Comparison of Lead Content in Selected Hair Coloring Cosmetics
Products Containing Lead Acetate	mcg lead/gram	Products Containing Organic Dyes	mcg lead/gram
RD Hair Coloring & Groomer, Creme Formula for Men (LT Laboratories, Brookline Mass.)	5,954	Just for Men, Shampoo-In Color, Natural Medium Brown (COMBE Inc., Dist., White Plains, N.Y.)	<LQD
Youthhair Creme, Hair Dressing and Conditioner for Men and Women, (MajesticDrug Company, Inc, Bronx, N.Y.)	4,762	Just for Men, Brush in Color Gel Natural Light Brown (COMBE Inc., Dist., White PLains, N.Y.)	<LQD
Grecian Plus, Gray (Hair) Control Foam, (COMBE Inc., Dist., White PLains, N.Y.)*	3,304	Clairol Men's Choice Shampoo - In Hair Color, Natural Medium Brown, (Clairol Inc., Stamford, Conn.)	<LQD
Lady Grecian Formula, Gentle Liquid with Conditioner (COMBE Inc., Dist., White PLains, N.Y.)	2,299	Nice 'n Easy, Shampoo-In Hair Color, 122 Natural Black, Level 3 Permanent (Clairol Inc., Stamford, Conn.)	<LQD
Grecian Formula 16, Liquid with Conditioner (COMBE Inc., Dist., White PLains, N.Y.)		Aussie Intermissions, Color Enhancing Shampoo, Warm Earth (Redmond Products, Inc., Chanhassen, Minn.)	<LQD
		Performing Preference by L'Oreal, Advanced Conditioning Permanent (Hair) Colorant, 2 Jet Black (L'Oreal Hair Care Division, Cosmair Inc., New York, N.Y.)	<LQD
*Prepared by dissolving in nitric acid (2.7 g/20 mL) with overnight digestion at room temperature LQD-- Limit of quantitative determination -5x detection limit (DL) DL-- Mean relative intensity of blank (n - 11) + 3 standard variations

TABLE 2: Results of Wipe Measurement of Lead Acetate on Hands and Surfaces
Units of Lead	Cream	Cream	Foam	Foam	Liquid	Liquid
	mcg/hand	mcg/sq.ft	mcg/hand	mcg/sq.ft	mcg/hand	mcg/sq.ft
Per hand before application of hair color	<1		3		2
Per hand after application of hair color	689		153		271
Per hand after washing	79		26		31
Per dry hand after passing through dry air	286		69		73
Per wet hand after passing through dry air	86		30		23
Comb after use		361		58		67
Handle of faucet after use		22		12		42
Outside of product container				14		436
Telephone receiver		135
Comb after use on dry treated hair		16
Miscellaneous Measurements (mcg per subject)
On forehead after application	71		22		45
Wipe of dry hair (5 passes)	601		87		60

Published in Journal of American Pharmaceutical Association (NS37, Jan/Feb 1997:85-89). Copied 2 October 1997 from http://www.aphanet.org/APhA/hair.html
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