Analytical Sciences

Arsenic Speciation and Cadmium Determination in Tobacco Leaves, Ash and Smoke

Takahiro IWAI,* Koichi CHIBA,* and Tomohiro NARUKAWA**

*Department of Environmental and Applied Chemistry, School of Science and Technology, Kwansei Gakuin University, 2-1 Gakuen, Sanda, Hyogo 669-1337, Japan
**National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba Central 3, 1-1-1 Umezono, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8563, Japan

The concentrations of arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) in the tobacco leaves, ash and smoke of 10 kinds of cigarettes collected from different countries worldwide were determined by ICP-MS after microwave-assisted digestion. Total As and Cd concentrations in the tobacco leaves ranged from 0.20 to 0.63 and 1.8 to 9.9 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. By the speciation analysis of As in tobacco leaves and ash by HPLC-ICP-MS following acid extraction, arsenite [As(III)] and arsenate [As(V)] were determined and trace amounts of monomethylarsonic acid (MMAA), dimethylarsinic acid (DMAA), trimethylarsine oxide (TMAO), tetramethylarsonium (TeMA) and some unidentified As species were also found. Arsenic speciation for smoke absorbed in an aqueous solution was carried out. The sum of the As species in tobacco leaves, ash and smoke was in good agreement with the result of total As determination in each sample, and the recoveries of speciation were 100 ± 10%. The distributions and the behaviors of As species were clarified.

J-STAGE: View this article in J-STAGE