Determinação de arsênio em batons de cor vermelha de uso adulto

Abstract

Arsenic is a substance present in nature at organic and inorganic form, the last one being the most dangerous for human health. Some make up are produced with pigments contaminated by arsenic, a factor that increases the risk of carcinogenesis for users. The aim of this study was determine arsenic concentration in red lipsticks to verify if it levels are within the Maximum Permissible Limit (MPL) of 3 µg/g, provided by RDC 44/2012 from National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA). An experimental study was carried out with six samples of red lipsticks obtained in stores in the city of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte (RN). The samples were pre-calcined and mineralized at 650 ºC until ash was obtained. The ashes were added in an acid solution to release arsine gas, which in the end reacted with silver diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC-Ag), forming the complex arsenic diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC-As). The DDC-As solutions were analyzed at 540 nm in a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. An analytical curve was prepared, repeating the entire experimental process, except the mineralization step, in each analyses day. The samples presented 0.28, 0.52, 0.28, 0.45, 0.49 and 0.49 µg/g. The six different label samples analyzed presented arsenic concentration under the MPL and the lipsticks analyzed are, therefore, suitable for human consumption in terms of total arsenic content.