Abstract
Monitoring the presence of heavy metals in cookware intended for use by both humans and animals is of interest, because of their toxic effects. In this report, a study has been conducted to determine the heavy metals released from 46 items of metallic cookware purchased from a local market in Riyadh. Mn, Fe, Cu, Cr, As, Zn, Ni, Al, Cd and Pb, were analyzed using an inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer. The order of concentration of essential and toxic elements in all samples showed the following trend: Mn > Al > Pb = As > Fe > Zn > Cu = Ni = Cd > Cr. This study high-lighted the importance of the metal release monitoring from cooking utensils in order to protect people from the dangers posed by toxic metals.