Acidic aerosols resulting from gas flaring and refinery operations in the Niger Delta are a serious environmental and public health concern. Several thousand tons of flue gas components (dust particles, SOx, CO and NOx) are released into the atmosphere by flaring billions of cubic meters of natural gas and refining and volatilizing the spilt oil. Heat waves are generated by flaring travels several meters away from flare points, destroying crops, farm lands, exotic species that are hunters delight while causing extinction of fragile soil flora and fuana. The occurrence of acid rain in the region implies that the natural receptors of the area are the final recipient of land and atmospheric pollutants. In effect, the water needs and public health of the populace are greatly impeded. Nitric and sulphuric acids are regarded as the sole contributors of nitrate and sulphate in precipitation influenced by combusted hydrocarbons: fine nitrate aerosols that dissolve in rain water are conversion products of NO2 that arise from flaring, power plants and motor vehicles. Scientific evidence has shown that rain water and surface water quality in the Niger Delta can accentuate the poor health burden, and may be perpetuated through generations unborn. Diagnostic health risk assessment has revealed that drinking nitrate contaminated water may be associated with spontaneous miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, adult malignant lymphomas, soft tissues sarcomas, cancers and lesions with added health burden associated with heavy metals and other ions. All these pose public health emergency and may significantly entrench health risk for generations to come. Therefore, this manuscript is intended to close certain gaps that were not covered by toxicological information and available data on environmental and food contamination and human internal ex-J. K. Nduka et al. 567 posure: it will serve as a continuous reminder and a useful guide to public health policy makers, workers and community based physicians.

Forty two different cosmetic samples consisting of 16 facial cosmetics, 6 soaps, 1 shower gel, 12 emulsions, 2 underarm cosmetics, 3 nail cosmetics and 2 perfumes were purchased from department stores and cosmetic shops within Onitsha Main Market and Eke-Awka in Anambra, Nigeria. Seven of these cosmetic (16.67%) were locally manufactured in Nigeria while thirty five (83.33%) were imported into Nigeria. The cosmetics were ashed before digestion and filtration. The filtrates were assayed for mercury and arsenic with AAS SearchTech AA320N. Hydroquinone presence was identified by chromatographic test while steroids, nitrite and N-nitrosamines were identified by colour test and together were assayed by UV-spectrophotometer (Spectrulab 21). The health risk assessment methods developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) were employed to explore the potential human health risk of Mercury and Arsenic in cosmeticsamples. Results showed that two (2) of the cosmetic samples contained mercury ( 0.003 + 0.000mg/kg and 0.07 + 0.00mg/kg) while three cosmetic samples contained arsenic (0.002 + 0.000, 0.002+0.000 and 0.005 +0.000 mg/kg). Hydroquinone concentration ranged from 1.14 + 0.00 -1.83 + 0.03 mg/kg (1.14E-02 -1.83E-02 %).Steroid was found in only two samples with concentration of 16.70 + 0.74 mg/kg and 17.63 + 0.74 while N-nitrosamines and nitrite occurred in nine and eleven samples in the range of 4.66 + 0.09 -43.52 + 0.47 and 0.87 + 0.02 -13.42 + 2.90 respectively. The total cancer and non-cancer risk results indicated that although the chances of cancer risk and non-cancer risk resulting from the use of these cosmetic products were unlikely, build up of these heavy metals overtime on continuous usage could be detrimental.

Cosmetic products are designed for use on human body for beautifying and promoting attractiveness and appearance; for these reasons, cosmetics are in high demand especially among women of all ages in every country. Despite many vulnerabilities associated with cosmetic usage, the cosmetic and 'makeup' continues to enjoy wide acceptability irrespective of age and sex. This is made possible by massive advertising employed by producers and marketers of cosmetics. Advertising is the link between manufactured products and would-be consumers; it plays a crucial role in determining the product that is mostly patronised and vice versa. Therefore, ethical advertising that promotes utilitarian benefits of cosmetics should be encouraged over and above emotional advertisement that lowers self-esteem of consumers and offers such products as solution to their low self-esteem. Despite the ban in many countries of poisonous substances in cosmetic products, inexhaustive list of substances, such as lead, chromium, nickel, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, hydroquinone, steroids, nitrosamine, etc. are still present in many cosmetic products. In most cases, above regulatory values, cancers, renal disorders, thinning and easy brushing of the skin, dermatophyte infection with lesions, macular hyper pigmentation, pityriasis vesicular, diabetes mellitus, micropapular eruption, hypertension, etc. are possible toxicological and health hazards that may be associated with continuous cosmetic application.