Smoking effect on the cadmium and zinc concentration in smokers and nonsmokers

Abstract

Studies have shown that cigarette smoking affects the accumulation of heavy metals in certain tissues and the metabolism of essential elements. This comparative study of 106 subjects (51 smokers, 38 ex-smokers, 17 non-smokers) examined cadmium and zinc concentrations using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Statistically significant differences in blood cadmium levels were found between all group comparisons. A strong positive correlation between urinary cadmium and zinc levels (rho=0.781; p=0.001) suggests smoking substantially increases zinc excretion and loss.