Preliminary assessment of toxic metals in cookware, moulding materials and soils from manufacturing sites in southwest Nigeria, with evaluation of cookware leaching potential

Abstract Informally manufactured cookware is often associated with elevated levels of toxic metals due to poor quality control and unregulated use of moulding materials. In this study, a preliminary assessment of toxic metal levels in cookware, associated moulding materials, and soils collected from informal cookware manufacturing sites in Saki, southwest Nigeria, with evaluation of cookware leaching potential, was conducted. Samples were acid-digested and analyzed for Mn, Pb,Cr, Cd and Ni using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Cookware leaching potential was evaluated by boiling tap water in pots for 1, 2, and 3 hours, followed by metal analysis of the leachates. Metal concentrations (mg/kg) in cookware samples ranged as follows: Mn (94.0–1,064), Pb (18.4–439), Cr (10.4–60.2), Cd (0.300–5.45), and Ni (33.3–578). Moulding materials showed: Mn (79.2–185,388), Pb (8.35–1,004), Cr (5.78–58.5), Cd (