Determination of Cadmium Transfer Rate from the Tobacco to Cigarette Smoke

Tobacco plants absorb cadmium from soil and accumulate it in high concentrations in their leaves. Additionally, a significant portion of the cadmium contained in cigarettes passes into the smoke. Cadmium is known to be a toxic and carcinogenic compound that has harmful effects on the human body due to smoking. In this study, the concentrations of cadmium in the Ky3R4F reference cigarette and two commercial cigarettes were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Each cigarette sample was partitioned into a tobacco rod and filter and then analyzed in order to determine the concentration of cadmium. The concentrations of cadmium in the mainstream smoke, ash, residue, and cigarette butt were also analyzed after the cigarettes were smoked under ISO smoking conditions. Transfer rates of the cadmium from the tobacco rod to the mainstream smoke, ash, and cigarette butt were 0.8 ~ 5%, 17 ~ 22%, and 5 ~ 7%, respectively. As a result, we estimated that the sidestream smoke contained about 70% of the cadmium from the tobacco rod.