Fourth International Symposium on Nuclear Analytical Chemistry (NAC-IV)

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai, India, November 15-19, 2010

Availability of Essential and Toxic Elements in Chewing Tobacco Products

by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis

∗
A. N. Garg1, , R. Paul Choudhury1, R. Acharya2 and A.V. R. Reddy2

1
Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee 247 667, INDIA
2
Radiochemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai 400 085, INDIA
*Present address; School of Sciences, Indira Gandhi National Open University,
Maidan Garhi, New Delhi 110068, INDIA

Tobacco smoking/chewing has been a cause of concern because of it being related with oral
cancer. Chewing tobacco includes raw tobacco leaves taken with lime often called spit tobacco and
processed/scented tobacco called gutkaa and paan masala. It causes stimulation and ill physiological
effects1. Ten different brands of spit tobacco, eight gutkaas and five paan masalas have been
analyzed for 7 minor (Al, Na, K, Ca, Cl, Mg and P) and 17 trace (As, Ba, Br, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Eu, Fe,
Hg, La, Mn, Rb, Sb, Sc, Th and Zn) elements by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA).
Sampls along with comparator standards were irradiated in a reactor at the Bhabha Atomic Research
Centre, Mumbai followed by counting of γ activity by high resolution gamma ray spectrometry at
different intervals. Also Ni and Pb were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS).
No Cd could be detected in any of the tobacco samples. Mg, generally added as MgCO3 to prevent
caking2, is present as minor constituent in spit tobacco and gutkaas but was well below detection
limit (<1 mg/g) in paan masalas. Most elemental concentrations vary in a wide range depending on
the nature of chewing tobacco. Spit tobacco has been found to be more enriched in essential elements
such as Ca, K, Na, P, Mn and Rb, whereas gutkaas contain higher concentrations of Fe, Cr, Cu and
Zn. Paan masalas contain comparatively lower elemental contents but have higher Hg content.
Gutkaas also contain the higher amounts of As and Pb. Linear correlations were observed between
Na and Cl (r =0.96) and K and P (r=0.93) in ten brands of spit tobacco. The essential and toxic
elements may remain complexed with organic ligands and thus absorbed by the human body.

Corresponding author: Email: agargfcy@yahoo.com Phone: 09818912727 Fax: (011)29532167

Essential and toxic elements in tobacco products

References
1. American Cancer Society (2003), National Cancer Institute fact sheet, Atlanta,
www.cancer.org.
2. Magnesium carbonate: Facts and details from Encyclopedia, (2006), http:// www.
absoluteastronomy.com/enc1/magnesium_carbonate
.

Preferred mode of presentation: Either Scope of the Abstract (a-j): h

INAC 2007, Santos, SP, Brazil.