Assessment Of The Risks Posed By Heavy Metals Contained In Consumer Products Using The Bioindicative Measuring Method

The problem dealt with in this research work refers to not unequivocally defined safety requirements that relate to consumer products such as clothes, shoes, toys, upholstered furniture and decorative items. The aim of the study was to find out if any of the so-called heavy metals included in products as components of chemical substances used during finishing processes might pose a real risk to consumers. For the realisation of the research purpose the samples of materials in which high quantities of heavy metals were detected have been subjected to extraction in different kinds of solution extracts and then the extracts were analysed for the presence of such elements as nickel, copper, lead, cadmium and chrome. To verify the toxicity effect of extracts, the bioindicative measuring method based on ciliate sp. test organisms was applied. Changes in test organisms' behaviour were analysed based on microscopic observations and spectrophotometric measurements.