title: High-Throughput Determination of Mercury in Tobacco and Mainstream Smoke from Little Cigars.
abstract: A method was developed that utilizes a platinum trap for mercury from mainstream tobacco smoke, which represents an improvement over traditional approaches that require impingers and long sample preparation procedures. In this approach, the trapped mercury is directly released for analysis by heating the trap in a direct mercury analyzer. The method was applied to the analysis of mercury in the mainstream smoke of little cigars. The mercury levels in little cigar smoke obtained under Health Canada Intense smoking machine conditions ranged from 7.1 × 10(-3) to 1.2 × 10(-2) mg/m(3). These air mercury levels exceed the chronic inhalation minimal risk level corrected for intermittent exposure to metallic mercury (e.g., 1 or 2 h per day, 5 days per week) determined by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Multivariate statistical analysis was used to assess associations between mercury levels and little cigar physical design properties. Filter ventilation was identified as the principal physical parameter influencing mercury concentrations in mainstream little cigar smoke generated under ISO machine smoking conditions. With filter ventilation blocked under Health Canada Intense smoking conditions, mercury concentrations in tobacco and puff number (smoke volume) were the primary physical parameters that influenced mainstream smoke mercury concentrations.
authors.affiliation: Battelle-Atlanta Analytical Services, 2987 Clairmont Road, Suite 450, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
authors.forename: Mark R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Fresquez
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Tobacco and Volatiles Branch, 4770 Buford Highway, MS F-44, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, MC-100-44, P.O. Box 117, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Jimenez
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Tobacco and Volatiles Branch, 4770 Buford Highway, MS F-44, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA.
authors.forename: Naudia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Tobacco and Volatiles Branch, 4770 Buford Highway, MS F-44, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA.
authors.forename: Clifford H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Tobacco and Volatiles Branch, 4770 Buford Highway, MS F-44, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA rpappas@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: R Steven
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Pappas
mesh_terms: D002138:Calibration; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D004867:Equipment Design; D057166:High-Throughput Screening Assays / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000592:standards; D057230:Limit of Detection; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012015:Reference Standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012906:Smoke / Q000032:analysis*; D012907:Smoking; D062789:Tobacco Products / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D012906:Smoke; D008628:Mercury