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Levels of cadmium in
different brands of cigerettes sold in Abakaliki metropolis
of Nigeria
Augustine A. Uwakwe1* and Udu
Ibiam2
1Department
of Biohemistry, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt,
Nigeria.
2Department
of Biochemistry, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki,
Nigeria.
*Corresponding author. E-mail:
uwadik@yahoo.com .
Accepted 24 July, 2009 |
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Cadmium (Cd)
is recognized as category 1 carcinogen by the international
agency for research on cancer based on its relationship to
pulmonary tumors. Cigarette smoking is one major source of
Cd in the environment. Levels of Cd in 19 different brands
of cigarettes (both local and foreign made) sold in
Abakaliki town were determined using atomic absorption
spectrophotometer (AAS) (205). The results showed varied
levels of Cd in different brands of cigarettes analyzed. On
the average, locally made cigarettes contained higher levels
of Cd than the foreign brands, except Dorchester which
contained 0.259 ug/g. London, Benson and Hedges and Marlboro
red contained 0.389, 0.680 and 0.329 ug/g Cd, respectively,
the results also showed that different brands of cigarette
contained varied quantities of tobacco per stick. However,
the quantity of tobacco per stick of cigarette did not
correlate with the level of Cd it contained. Brands like
excel, green spot, business club, consulate, London, Benson
and Hedges and Marlboro which contained 0.66, 0.821, 0.786,
0.670, 0.736 and 0.650 g of tobacco/stick of cigarette,
respectively, had 0.043, 0.087, 0.043, 0.1517, 0.3899,
0.3863 and 0.1299
mg
of Cd, respectively. In addition to emphasizing the danger
of cigarette smoking, the results highlight the Cd-toxicity
potential of each brand of cigarette. Thus some brands can
be more poisonous than others based on their Cd contents.
Smoking in public places should be banned to reduce the
public health consequences of Cd intoxication due to
uncontrolled emission of Cd into the environment via
cigarette smoking.
Key words: Cigarette brands, Cd, smoking, Intoxication. |
