World Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences

BEWARE LEAD IS STILL INTRUDING OUR DAILY LIFE

Suleiman I. Sharif*, Manal S. Al-Sharawy and Saleh Edlibi

ABSTRACT

Lead (Pb) is a toxic metal that has been known for ages and has also been used widely and wildly in plumbing, leaded petrol, as antiknock, rubber industry, paints, and lead batteries. We aimed at investigating several children toys and household utensils for the presence of lead. A lead test kit. (Apotex kit) was used in all tests performed. The kit can be applied to almost all materials suspected of containing Pb. A surface detection procedure was used where the surface of the material is cleaned of dust or dirt and 4 drops of the kit solution are dispensed on a cotton swab and the swab tip is rubbed on the surface under investigation for 30 to 60 seconds. Change in color of surface or swab indicates the presence of Pb, the quantity of which can be approximated from a color chart provided with the kit. Surprisingly, most items tested proved positive for the presence of lead and in particular children’s toys. The method, although it is purely qualitative but it proved useful in detecting the presence of lead in the items tested. Considering the normal hand to mouth behavior of children, they are more vulnerable to the hazardous effects of chronic exposure to low lead concentration. we recommend that both the public and decision makers should be aware of the danger of lead and stringent regulations and measures of intervention should be taken to establish a healthy community free of lead.

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