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Forensic Investigation of Formaldehyde in Illicit Products for Hair Treatment by DAD ‐ HPLC : A Case Study
Author(s) -
Oiye Erica N.,
Ribeiro Maria Fernanda M.,
Okumura Leonardo L.,
Saczk Adelir A.,
Ciancaglini Pietro,
Oliveira Marcelo F.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/1556-4029.13068
Subject(s) - formaldehyde , derivatization , high performance liquid chromatography , analyte , chromatography , illicit drug , chemistry , food science , toxicology , medicine , drug , organic chemistry , pharmacology , biology
The illegal use of formalin (commercial formaldehyde) in cosmetic products harms the health of individuals exposed to this substance. Over the last years, the commercial availability of these products, especially those containing irregular dosage of formaldehyde, has increased in Brazil. This work analyzes some products for hair treatment available in the Brazilian market and verifies their safety. The adopted analytical methodology involved sample derivatization with 2,4‐dinitrophenylhydrazine, followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection ( UV – VIS ) at λ = 365 nm. The limit of quantification is 2.5 × 10 −3% w/w, and the recovery tests were around 93%. Some of the samples contained high and illegal formaldehyde levels ranging from 9% to 19% (w/w) and others presented suitable concentrations of the analyte. On the basis of the results, this work discusses the efficiency and practicality of this analytical method for forensic purposes.