Cadmium determination in cigarettes available in Nigeria

Abstract

Cadmium (Cd) contents were determined in 30 brands of tobacco cigarette commonly available in Nigeria by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The concentration of Cd in the cigarettes ranged from 0.7 to 2.3 g/g dry weight with mean 1.48 ± 0.46 g/g. Higher Cd concentrations were found in imported
brands (1.52 ± 0.46 g/g) compared to the Nigerian brands (1.10 ± 0.35 g/g). Relatively lower Cd values were observed in cigarettes from developing countries (~ 1.3 g/g) compared to brands from developed countries (>1.3 g/g). The average Cd content of cigarettes available in Nigeria is 1.28 g per cigarette and a person who smokes 20 cigarettes per day is estimated to increase his daily Cd retention by approximately 1 g/day (0.53 – 1.65 g/day). The results indicate that smoking and exposure to cigarette
smoke is a confounder to be taken into account when carrying out epidemiological studies on human exposure to cadmium.