title: Influence of smoking on blood cadmium concentration in university students.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was performed to examine the influence of smoking on the blood cadmium concentration in university students.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 300 university students. A questionnaire interview was used to collect data. The urine cotinine and blood cadmium levels were measured as biological exposure indices. The data were analyzed using t-tests ANOVA and ANCOVA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median value of blood cadmium concentration was equal in both males and females (0.8microgram/liter). This level was relatively low in comparison with the reference value suggested by WHO (2001). ANCOVA showed that smoking related variables, urine cotinine and smoking amount, were significantly associated with the blood cadmium level (P=0.004, 0.015). However, the values with regard to traffic related air pollution were not significantly associated with the blood cadmium level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Smoking is an important source of nonoccupational cadmium exposure in young people. The Blood cadmium level is at least 10% higher in active smokers than in passive or nonsmokers. The level of urine cotinine can be used as an indicator of non-occupational exposure of respirable cadmium due to smoking, as there is a good correlation bestween smoking amount and the urine cotinine level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Inha University College of Medicine, Korea. ychong@inha.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Joo Youn
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Inha University College of Medicine, Korea. ychong@inha.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Jong Han
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Inha University College of Medicine, Korea. ychong@inha.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Sin Goo
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Inha University College of Medicine, Korea. ychong@inha.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Jee Na
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Inha University College of Medicine, Korea. ychong@inha.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Mi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Inha University College of Medicine, Korea. ychong@inha.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Chung Song
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Huh
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Inha University College of Medicine, Korea. ychong@inha.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Dae Hee
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Inha University College of Medicine, Korea. ychong@inha.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Yun Chul
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Hong
keywords: Blood cadmium; Smoking; Urine cotinine