Concentration of trace elements on branded cigarette in Malaysia

• Main Authors: Azman, Muhammad Azfar, Yasir, Muhamad Samudi, Rahman, Irman Abdul, Hamzah, Suhaimi, Rahman, Shamsiah Abdul, Elias, Md Suhaimi, Abdullah, Nazaratul Ashifa, Hashim, Azian, Shukor, Shakirah Abd
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: 07 ISOTOPES AND RADIATION SOURCES; Activation analysis; Cigarettes; DOSES; DRUGS; Fertilizers; GAMMA SPECTROMETERS; HIGH-PURITY GE DETECTORS; MALAYSIA; Native Americans; NEUTRON ACTIVATION ANALYSIS; NEUTRON FLUX; Neutrons; Tobacco; TOBACCO PRODUCTS; TRACE AMOUNTS; Trace elements; TRIGA-2 REACTOR
• ISSN: 0094-243X; 1551-7616
• DOI: 10.1063/1.4940093

Tobacco is a plant that is used as a recreational drug since the beginning of its use by the Native Americans. Now with the development of the tobacco industry, smoking has become a norm for the public in Malaysia. Trace elements in plants are mostly due to the uptake processes from the soils into the roots of the plants. The concentration of the elements may also be influenced by the elements contained in the water and also fertilizers. This paper aim to analyze the concentration of the trace elements contained in the branded cigarettes sold in Malaysia by utilizing the neutron activation analysis. The tobaccos were taken out from the cigarettes. The collected samples were air dried and passed through 2 mm sieve. Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) has been used for the determination of trace elements. Samples were activated in the Nuclear Malaysia Triga Mark II reactor with a neutron flux of 2.0 x 1012 n cm-2 s-1. The samples then were analyzed using ORTEC Gamma Spectrometer a co-axial n-type HPGe detector with resolution of 2.0 keV at 1332 keV and relative efficiency of 20%. The data obtained could help in assessing the concentration of the trace elements that complying with the standard limitation dose proposed by World Health Organization (WHO).