title: Safety assessment of chromium by exposure from cosmetic products.
abstract: Low level impurities often reside in cosmetic products. The aim of the present study was to estimate the human exposure to chromium from cosmetic products purchased at a local market in South Korea, and to assess the risk on public health. Hexavalent chromium is an impurity substance that contaminates cosmetic products during manufacture. The potential for chromium to induce and elicit allergic contact dermatitis, as well as the degree of chromium exposure from cosmetic products, were assessed. Chromium exposure was estimated using the chromium concentrations found in cosmetic samples taken from the local market along with the expected user pattern data that was taken from the literature. Of the cosmetics we tested and available for purchase on the Korean market, seven had chromium contents above the detection limit of 0.1 ppm (0.1 microg/mL), ranging from 0.2 to 3.15 ppm. In risk assessment, scientifically defensible dose-response relationships must be established for the end points of concern. In the case of chromium contaminated cosmetic products, this includes conducting dose-response assessments for allergic contact dermatitis following dermal exposure. This dose-response information can then be integrated with site-specific exposure assessments to regulate consumer safety by use of these products. We found that dermal exposure to chromium concentrations ranging from 0.0002 to 0.003 microg/cm(2) does not appear to cause concern for eliciting allergic contact dermatitis.
authors.affiliation: Risk Assessment Division at the National Institute of Toxicological Research, Seoul 122-704, Korea.
authors.forename: Myungsil
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Eun Kyung
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Ja Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Bo Kyung
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Son
authors.forename: Seong Jun
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Mi Ok
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.forename: Sang Sook
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Dong Deuk
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Tae Moo
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Yoo
mesh_terms: D002857:Chromium / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D003358:Cosmetics / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D017449:Dermatitis, Allergic Contact / Q000209:etiology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D018570:Risk Assessment
chemical_list: D003358:Cosmetics; D002857:Chromium; C074702:chromium hexavalent ion