Heavy metal concentrations of cigarettes in Turkey

The concentration of heavy metals in most popular brands of cigarettes sold in Turkey was determined. Homogenised samples of tobacco were digested in HNO3-HClO3 mixture and after evaporation by up to 300 degreesC the residue was extracted with HNO3 and analysed with ICP-MS. The minimum, average and maximum concentrations of heavy metals (mug/g), were determined for 9 different brands of cigarettes and the values were as follows: Cd 0.49 - 1.70 - 2.62; Cr 1.34 - 1.63 - 2.22; Co 0.12 - 0.22 - 0.71; Ni 0.06 - 0.22 - 0.35; Cu 1.16 - 2.45 - 6.4; As 0.63 - 0.92 - 0.95; Hg 0.20 - 0.25 - 0.28; Pb 0.32 - 1.02 - 2.3