Trace heavy metals in various Yugoslav tobaccos

Abstract

Levels of trace heavy metals in various kinds of tobacco are poorly studied, so their determination in this matrix is important both from the point of view of health studies connected with smoking and more general aspects of the uptake of trace elements by plants. Because of its great sensitivity, neutron-activation analysis is very suitable for determination of trace heavy metals. The great range of concentrations to be expected makes non-destructive analysis less suitable. Thus As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Mn, Sb, Se, U, V and Zn were determined by means of rapid radiochemical separations and measurement of theγ-ray spectra of the isolated radionuclides with an NaI detector. Iron, and manganese at higher levels, was determined spectrophotometrically. The accuracy of the results, which represent the mean value of at least two measurements for about 10 varieties of Yugoslav tobacco, was checked by the analysis of various standard reference materials and good agreement were obtained with certified or literature values. The results were compared with analyses of Kentucky IR-1 tobacco.