Copper, Iron and Zinc concentrations of tobacco leaves and ready-to-use snuff products on sale in Imo State Southeastern Nigeria

Abstract

This paper reports the results of the determination of the concentrations of Zn, Cu, and Fe in tobacco leaves and snuff products on sale in some regional markets in Imo State, Southeastern Nigeria. The samples were ashed at 550°C, mineralized with acid and the metal concentrations measured using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The mean metal concentrations are 843 ± 46 mg kg^-1 for Fe, 79 ± 4 mg kg^-1 for Zn, and 22 ± 2 mg kg^-1 for Cu in snuff samples and; 951 ± 78 mg kg^-1 for Fe, 83 ± 2 mg kg^-1 for Zn, and 24 ± 2 mg kg^-1 for Cu in tobacco leaves. Comparably, higher metal concentrations were obtained in tobacco leaves than in the snuff products, and the metal concentrations varied according to the regional markets from where they were purchased. The results of this study indicate that snuff products could constitute trace metal exposure routes to users.

Keywords: snuff; trace metals; tobacco; toxicology; Nigeria