Evaluating Lead, Nickel and Copper Levels in Selected Pharmaceutical Products Available in Iraqi Local Market: Analytical and Toxicological Assessment

Introduction: Lead, Nickel and Copper are widely spread heavy metals that are linked to many harmful effects to human body, they enter the body via food, water environment, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. Exposure to these heavy metals could cause various organ damage including cardiovascular, neurological, immunosuppression and cancer. The harmful effect could take years or decades to appear. According to the International Council for Harmonization (ICH) it’s important to adhere with the permitted daily exposure (PDE) doses of these hazardous elements to avoid the potential health risks. Methods: In this study, we investigate the presence of Lead, Nickel and Copper in selected pharmaceutical products collected from local pharmacies in Mosul/ Iraq including four eye drops and six intravenous infusions which considered critical products due to their invasive effect and any contamination will lead to devastating outcomes. According to the maximum daily recommended dose of each product, the maximum ingested amount of Lead, Nickel and Copper were calculated and compared to the permitted daily exposure (PDE) of each metal. Results: The results showed that from the ten samples, three IV infusions (M1, M2, M3) contained high levels of Lead ranging from (0.1-0.15) ppm, while one IV infusion (M1) contained high levels of Nickel (5) ppm, Copper levels were within the safe limits in all investigated products. Conclusion: 30% of the samples investigated were found to be contaminated with unsafe levels of heavy metals, more research and screening studies should be done to confirm this finding, also such products should have more restricted quality control measures.