Toxicological Evaluation of Selected Heavy Metals in Toothpastes : Quantitative Findings and Public Health Perspectives
Keywords:
Toothpastes, Heavy metals, Public health perspectiveAbstract
Toothpastes is important nowadays for frequent daily personal use to clean and whiten. Due to the increasing number of diseases in recent years related to the accumulation of heavy metals in the body , and due to the daily use of toothpaste , it has become important to check its safety from the heavy metals it contains . The importance lies in Knowing the safety of objects that enter or come into contact with human body , especially in the oral area , as they come into contact with the gums and salivary glands , and some children swallow them .This study has shown that there are high levels of some heavy elements examined in this work , namely lead (Pb) and arsenic (As) , among four heavy elements .The highest levels of lead (0.57 mg/kg) and arsenic (0.27mg/kg) were found in the analyzed toothpastes samples .These concentrations have been found to be very high and exceed the limits permitted by global health standards , especially in children`s toothpastes.
Downloads
References
A. Vella and E. Attard, “Analysis of heavy metal content in conventional and herbal toothpastes available at Maltese pharmacies,” Cosmetics, vol. 6, no. 2, p. 28, 2019.
M. Marinovich, M. S. Boraso, E. Testai, and C. L. Galli, “Metals in cosmetics: An a posteriori safety evaluation,” Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, vol. 69, pp. 416–424, 2014.
S. K. Chengappa, A. Rao, S. R. Holla, et al., “Analysis of copper, zinc, arsenic, and lead content of over-the-counter toothpastes from India: an in vitro study,” Scientific Reports, vol. 15, p. 26535, 2025.
Bureau of Indian Standards, Toothpaste—Specification, IS 6356-2021. New Delhi, India: BIS, 2017.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Toxicological Profile for Lead. Atlanta, GA, USA: ATSDR, 2020.
International Agency for Research on Cancer, List of Classifications: Agents Classified by the IARC Monographs, Volumes 1–138. Lyon, France: IARC, 2025.
T. Perkins, “Toothpaste widely contaminated with lead and other metals, US research finds,” The Guardian, Apr. 17, 2025.
B. Petrović, S. Kojić, L. Milić, et al., “Toothpaste ingestion-evaluating the problem and ensuring safety: systematic review and meta-analysis,” Frontiers in Public Health, vol. 11, p. 1279915, 2023.
A. Massarsky, K. M. Unice, and M. L. Kreider, “Health risk implications of heavy metals in toothpaste,” Public Health Toxicology, vol. 5, no. 2, p. 9, 2025.
L. C. Chien, T. C. Hung, K. Y. Choang, C. Y. Yeh, P. J. Meng, M. J. Shieh, et al., “Daily intake of TBT, Cu, Zn, Cd and As for fishermen in Taiwan,” Science of the Total Environment, pp. 177–185, 2002.
A. A. Abou-Arab and M. A. Abou-Doma, “Heavy metals in Egyptian spices and medicinal plants and the effect of processing on their leaves,” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, vol. 48, no. 6, pp. 2300–2304, 2000.
S. K. Kannan, B. P. Batvari, and P. Devarajan, “A preliminary study on herbal resources and their contamination with toxic heavy metals around Pulicat Lake, North Chennai, South East Coast of India,” Research Journal of Environmental Toxicology, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 78–84, 2007.
J. Wu, Y. Zou, X. Zhan, G. Lu, and F. Lai, “Survey of heavy metal pollution in four Chinese crude drugs and their cultivated soils,” Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, vol. 81, no. 6, pp. 571–573, 2008.
M. O. Jamiu, et al., “Mediterranean Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences,” Mediterranean Journal of Medical Research, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 1–132, 2024.
N. Patel, N. Parekh, and S. Acharya, “Regulatory Frameworks and Guidance for Food Products Registration, Safety, Labeling, and Consumer Protection Guidelines: A Comprehensive Review on German Standards,” Nutraceuticals, pp. 120–146, 2024.
World Health Organization, Routine Health Information System and Health Facility Data for Neglected Tropical Diseases: Schistosomiasis. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO, 2025.
L. M. Katz, et al., “Regulation of cosmetics in the United States,” Dermatologic Clinics, vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 307–318, 2022.
M. J. Renwick, et al., “Management of phthalates in Canada and beyond: can we do better to protect human health?,” Frontiers in Public Health, vol. 12, p. 1473222, 2024.
H. Bashir, et al., “Heavy metal in cosmetics and its risk to future generation in remote area of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Trarkhel District Sudhnoti,” Scientific Reports, vol. 15, no. 1, p. 43847, 2025.
T. Attard and E. Attard, “Heavy metals in cosmetics,” in Environmental Impact and Remediation of Heavy Metals, H. M. Saleh and A. I. Hassan, Eds. Cham, Switzerland: IntechOpen, 2022.
N. Hiraishi, M. Sayed, M. Takahashi, T. Nikaido, and J. Tagami, “Clinical and primary evidence of silver diamine fluoride on root caries management,” Japanese Dental Science Review, vol. 58, pp. 1–8, 2022.
United States Food and Drug Administration, FDA’s Testing of Cosmetics for Arsenic, Cadmium, Chromium, Cobalt, Lead, Mercury, and Nickel Content. Silver Spring, MD, USA: USFDA, 2020.
FAO and WHO, Compendium of Food Additive Specifications—Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), 92nd Meeting. Rome, Italy: FAO/WHO, 2022.
A. Vella and E. Attard, “Analysis of heavy metal content in conventional and herbal toothpastes available at Maltese pharmacies,” Cosmetics, vol. 6, no. 2, p. 28, 2019.
Government of Canada, Guidance on Heavy Metal Impurities in Cosmetics. Ottawa, Canada: Health Canada, 2012.
Bureau of Indian Standards, Toothpaste—Specification, IS 6356-2021. New Delhi, India: BIS, 2017.
S. O. Abarikwu, “Lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury: occurrence, toxicity and diseases,” in Pollutant Diseases, Remediation and Recycling, E. Lichtfouse, J. Schwarzbauer, and D. Robert, Eds. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2013.
J. J. Wirth and R. S. Mijal, “Adverse effects of low level heavy metal exposure on male reproductive function,” Systems Biology in Reproductive Medicine, vol. 56, pp. 147–167, 2010.
P. O. Ozuah, “Mercury poisoning,” Current Problems in Pediatrics, vol. 30, pp. 91–99, 2000.
T. W. Clarkson, “The three modern faces of mercury,” Environmental Health Perspectives, vol. 110, pp. 11–23, 2002.
G. Landis and M. Yu, Introduction to Environmental Toxicology: Impacts of Chemicals upon Ecological Systems. Boca Raton, FL, USA: CRC Press, 2003.
M. Kah, L. Levy, and C. Brown, “Potential for effects of land contamination on human health. The case of cadmium,” Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health B: Critical Reviews, vol. 15, pp. 348–363, 2012.
N. F. Salih, Z. M. Jafri, and M. S. Jaafar, “Investigation of distribution of radioactivity with effects of heavy metals in toothpastes from Penang markets,” Environmental Science and Pollution Research, vol. 23, pp. 23662–23674, 2016.
J. M. Castagnetto, S. W. Hennessy, V. A. Roberts, E. D. Getzoff, J. A. Tainer, and M. E. Pique, “MDB: the metalloprotein database and browser at the Scripps Research Institute,” Nucleic Acids Research, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 379–382, 2002.
K. K. Lawal, I. K. Ekeleme, C. M. Onuigbo, V. O. Ikpeazu, and S. O. Obiekezie, “A review on the public health implications of heavy metals,” World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 255–265, 2021.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Central Asian Journal of Theoretical and Applied Science

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.



