28 Toxic Metals Found in Cigarette Smoke

A room filled with cigarette smoke contains toxic and carcinogenic metals which can harm passive smokers.

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

A mural with the theme of a smoke-free zone decorates the residential area in RW 006, Kayu Manis Village, Matraman, East Jakarta, on Tuesday (14/11/2023). In addition to promoting spirit and awareness through the mural, residents are also committed to keeping their environment free from cigarette smoke by giving warnings and sanctions to those who violate the rule.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — A room filled with cigarette smoke can contain at least 28 toxic metals with levels exceeding the safe threshold for cancer risk. These findings provide new evidence behind the long-term health impacts of active and passive smokers.

The research report was reported in the journalEnvironmental Science & Technology Lettersand released by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on Wednesday (21/5/2024). "It is important to measure trace metals from secondhand smoke because some metals are also present in indoor and outdoor sources of pollution," said Hugo Destaillats, the study's lead researcher and senior scientist at Indoor Environment Group-Berkeley Lab.

For more than a decade, the Berkeley Lab group has been studying toxic organic contaminants emitted during smoking. "We are now also interested in completing the picture of the continuous smoke impact by assessing how metals can contribute to the tobacco's health burden," he said.

It is known that cigarette smoke can linger on indoor surfaces long after the cigarette is extinguished. In this study, a team of researchers from Berkeley Lab collected aerosol particle samples for 43 hours after burning six cigarette sticks.

Also read: Indonesian Children Surrounded by Cigarette Smoke

To characterize cigarette smoke, they used a multi-layered Teflon filter to capture aerosol samples newly emitted from the cigarette. They then took additional samples over a longer period to characterize passive smokers.

The team member and writer, Wenming Dong, a researcher at Berkeley Lab, used a plasma mass spectrometry system to detect significant levels of metal traces in passive smokers and secondhand smoke. They found at least 28 toxic metals, including cadmium, arsenic, chromium, beryllium, and manganese.

MEDSOS KOMPAS/ANTONIUS SULISTYO P

Citizens use electronic cigarettes in Jakarta, Wednesday (30/8/2023). Users consume electronic cigarettes by inhaling liquid that has been heated using a battery-based electric heater. If conventional cigarettes produce smoke, electronic cigarettes produce vapor or aerosol.

To have a better understanding of how metal traces can contribute to the chemical composition of secondhand smoke and passive smokers, researchers then used the experimental results from an environmental room study to predict the concentration of trace metal contaminants in smokers' homes. In addition, they also looked at contamination concentrations for non-residential areas, such as designated smoking rooms, with different air exchange rates.

They found at least 28 toxic metals. Some of them are cadmium, arsenic, chromium, beryllium, and manganese.

In almost all modeled scenarios, they found that the estimated concentration of cadmium, arsenic, and chromium in indoor air exceeded the cancer risk guidelines of the State of California, United States. They also found that some of these metals exceed non-cancer reference levels for chronic exposure.

Researchers at Berkeley Lab say that this study is the first step in understanding how cigarette smoke can contribute to the metal footprint in indoor environments. Based on these findings, the researchers recommend the need for more efforts to advance the remediation of cigarette smoke pollution.

"In smoking environments, these metals are found in indoor air and on surfaces (materials), as well as in dust particles. People can also be exposed to these metals through pathways such as absorption and consumption through the skin," said Xiaochen Tang, a researcher at Berkeley Lab and the first author of this study.

The researchers focus their analysis on inhaling metal contaminants in the air as it can represent a part of the total exposure burden. "Given the presence of metal traces in the environment, it is important to further understand the effectiveness of ventilation, cleaning, and dust suction as mechanisms for removing these contaminants," he said.