Journals
Online ISSN: 2521-0246 | Print ISSN: 2523-0573
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Volume 4 Number 2 February 2020
DETERMINATION OF HEAVY METALS IN NATURAL HAIR DYE SELECTED FROM IRAQI PLANTS
Pages: 11-16Authors: Wedad H. Al-Dahhan
Abstract
The major threats to human health from heavy metals are associated with exposure to highly toxic heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, cadmium, chromium, mercury, as well as some other elements. Heavy elements are important in the formation of living organisms and play an important role in their growth they are toxic. High concentrations of heavy metals may cause health problems. A natural hair dye called (Henna) extracted from a famous plant in Iraq also called henna plant from Basra Governorate. Acid digestion was carried out to Henna sample using nitric acid with hydrochloric acid in a ratio of 2.5:1. The main purpose of acid digestion is to free the elements by destroying the organic components in order to be analyzed in atomic absorption. For the same purpose, water extraction was carried out for henna sample using deionized water. Large proportion of the sulfur element was identified using EDX analysis method for hair dye sample, while atomic absorption analysis shows that acid digestion which was carried out to henna sample was not effective enough to dissolve all the elements. This conclusion was proved according to the presence of some elements in the precipitation resulting from acid digestion. Several treatments may be needed to insure the optimum extraction for the elements from the selected samples.
