As you can see in the data below from the 2022 Government of Saudi Arabia Health Ministry study, all commercial cigarettes appear to be heavily contaminated with chromium and other heavy metals, and we know from published research that these metals are transferred largely intact into the cigarette smoke. In this post we’ll focus on the Hexavalent Chromium, or Chromium 6 because of its extreme toxicity and known cancer-causing properties. That’s not to say that any of these heavy metals in the concentrations you’ll see below are safe to inhale in tobacco product smoke – just that Chromium 6 is really the “slow Fentanyl” of the group, very, very slowly shutting down every body system just like its ultra-high speed namesake.
If Chromium 6 sounds familiar you may have seen the Erin Brockovich story. This is the same chemical, only not in your drinking water but in your smoke, or the smoke of others that you’re breathing.
There are actually two different Chromiums. Chromium 3 or Trivalent Chromium is the naturally-occurring form of Chromium in the soil, and it is an essential nutrient for the human body, whereas Chromium 6 is manmade and extremely toxic, occurring mainly in industrial waste and tobacco products. Chromium 3 is taken up naturally by the tobacco plant and by many other plants, but the Chromium 6 in cigarette smoke is almost all from the pesticides and synthetic fertilizers that are much more heavily used on tobacco than on any other consumable agricultural crop. There’s plenty of published information on heavy metals in cigarettes, but very little on the actual source of the problem and no ideas on what can be done about it. There’s no question that it is a serious hazard, and a preventable one, but because FDA is exclusively committed to the impossible (and therefore endless) goal of stopping people from smoking it is unwilling to act on the fact that harm reduction affecting millions of smokers by removing heavy metals contamination in tobacco products is possible and practical. And it’s critical to do so.
“Hexavalent chromium is a known human carcinogen with no known safe level of exposure. Inhalation of hexavalent chromium in the workplace causes lung and nasal cancers, respiratory irritation, nasal and skin ulcerations and lesions, perforation of the nasal septum and allergic reactions including dermatitis and asthma” California Air Resources Board
Tobacco is much more heavily fertilized than most other crops, using synthetic industrial fertilizers that are produced using Chromium 6, and it is more heavily sprayed with pesticides most than almost any other crop, with many of these pesticides produced from substrates contaminated with Chromium 6 and other heavy metals.
That 1.37 PPM chromium across all 8 international brands that you see is 272X the maximum allowable OSHA concentration in workplace air, and 544X the OSHA “Action Level” for workplace exposure. So an average cigarette smoker who takes 132 puffs a day is filling their lungs and bloodstream with 544X the OSHA Action Levels. That level of exposure is set for very good reasons and would certainly close down any workplace and bring heavy fines and even prison time to any employer guilty of exposing their employees through such reckless behavior.
The Government of Australia puts it simply: “Hexavalent chromium is present in tobacco smoke, and smoking in enclosed spaces is the main source of exposure to airborne hexavalent chromium in the general population.” (emphasis added)
Doesn’t that make it worth asking – since organic tobacco cigarettes without pesticides and chemical fertilizers reduce the known risks of inhalation exposure to hexavalent chromium, what if the tobacco industry were incentivized and/or required to change to organic fertilization and growing practices and eliminate pesticide residues in their tobacco products? The sustainable commercial success of American Spirit organic cigarettes shows it can be done anywhere, anytime, at any scale.
It isn’t like the risk is unknown – it is simply not being addressed by any regulating agency. Here’s what EPA knows.
Here’s the science behind this unrecognized threat to smokers, which is quite possibly a major preventable source of smoking-related lung cancer.
“Cumulative hexavalent chromium exposure shows a strong dose-response relationship for lung cancer.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2647818/
Chromium (VI) promotes lung cancer initiation by activating EGF/ALDH1A1 signalling
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37396570
“Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide and is strongly associated with tobacco smoke exposure.
Though smoking remains the most important and best studied risk factor, recent data suggests that several other carcinogens have a driving role in lung cancer development, particularly in select populations at risk of high or prolonged exposure.
Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] is a known carcinogen that is widely used in the manufacturing industry. While the link between Cr(VI) and lung cancer incidence is well-accepted, the mechanisms through which Cr(VI) promotes lung cancer development are poorly understood.” (Note that these researchers, like all researchers who have been deliberately misled by the tobacco industry and FDA, don’t seem to have a clue about the Chromium 6 in tobacco product smoke.)
Now let’s look at this 2022 Saudi study which was done to assess the risks associated with inhalation exposure to certain heavy metals and pesticides in commercial cigarette smoke. It’s important to note that the brands tested are all international brands, some of which are very likely to have higher levels of contamination than many domestic US brands.
Reference: Analyzing pesticides and metal(loid)s in imported tobacco to Saudi Arabia and risk assessment of inhalation exposure to certain metals (https://doi.org/10.1080/08958378.2022.2037791)
Let’s do a comparison of the Saudi values with OSHA limits. (Saudi PPM has been converted to OSHA micrograms per cubic meter (µg/M3)
Metals PPM µg/M3 In µg/M3 OSHA
In Cigs In Cigs Cig Smoke Limit In Air
Arsenic 0.16 160 10
Cadmium 0.57 570 5
Cobalt 0.75 750 1000
Chromium 1.36 1360 5
Lead 0.37 370 50
Mercury 1.94 1940 50
Nickle 0.01 10 15
Here’s a quick review of the science behind my concern over Hexavalent Chromium in cigarette smoke.
- Risk Assessment The risk assessment based on the concentrations of metals showed that high cancer risks are associated with exposure to arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), and nickel (Ni). Lower risks were associated with lead (Pb). Of particular concern was the higher potential cancer risk estimated for chromium (Cr) compared to other toxic elements (Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2021.643972/full
- By comparing the OSHA limit of 5 micrograms per cubic meter of air to the 1.36 PPM concentration of chromium found in the Saudi analysis it can be seen that the concentration of chromium inhaled by smokers dramatically exceeds the permissible OSHA limit, and is many times the OSHA “Action Level”. (Source: https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/hexavalent_chromium.pdf).
- Synergistic Effects of Heavy Metals and Pesticides in Living Systems https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fchem.2017.00070/full “The information retrieved from the extensive literature survey indicates that the combinations of pesticides with pesticides, pesticide with heavy metal, and heavy metal to heavy metal acts synergistically and exhibit more toxicity than a single molecule alone. The studies relating heavy metals (Cd and Pb) are also reported to be displaying accelerated toxicological, hematological and immunological indices. In case of humans, the combined exposure of these xenobiotic substances acts in two different ways: firstly, the toxic hazard of a single component could be modified in combined exposures, which can lead to unexpected adverse health consequences. Studies demonstrated that a variety of chemicals may contribute to behavioral disabilities, developmental, and learning impairment. Humans are generally exposed by not only the oral route but also by dermal contact, inhalation, as well as ingestion. Secondly, the delectability of the toxic effects, including immunotoxic effects of a single compound can be changed by the interactions with one or more with other heavy metal or other xenobiotics.“
- International Consensus The presence of hexavalent chromium in cigarette smoke has been recognized as a clear and present danger to smokers and their families not only by the Saudi Arabian government but also by the government of Australia. Smoking in enclosed spaces is identified by GOA as “the main source of exposure to airborne hexavalent chromium in the Australian general population”. (Source: https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/sa+health+internet/conditions/chemicals+and+contaminants/chromium+health+effects#).
- Carcinogenicity of Chromium 6 Numerous studies confirm that hexavalent chromium is a known carcinogen when inhaled. Epidemiological studies have reported a high incidence of lung cancer among workers exposed to hexavalent chromium through inhalation. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified hexavalent chromium as a human carcinogen through the inhalation route of exposure (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4522702/).
- Heavy Metals May Be Addictive. Heavy metals play a role, possibly a strong one, in substance addiction and may well explain at least part of the addictive properties of cigarettes. Cigarette smoking and drug abuse are closely linked behaviors and this may be an unrecognized link. “Heavy metals, including lead, manganese, and cadmium have differential effects on dopaminergic activity. However, all three metals have been shown to disrupt the behavioral response to drugs of abuse and may contribute to the addiction process.” (source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18555207/
- Absorption and Bioaccumulation The research indicates that a significant percentage of the chromium 6 present in cigarette smoke is efficiently absorbed by the smoker’s lungs. Studies show that 53-85% of inhaled chromium (VI) compounds with a particle size less than 5 µm are absorbed into the bloodstream. Accumulation of chromium in lung tissue has been correlated with smoking history, suggesting that chromium, in some form, reaches the lungs and accumulates (Sources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK304377/ and https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4542087/).
- Chronic Chromium 6 Exposure Chronic inhalation of hexavalent chromium compounds increases the risk of lung, nasal, and sinus cancer. Chromium compounds can also act as sensitizers and irritants. Studies have indicated potential renal tubular damage, reproductive effects, and teratogenicity in animals exposed to hexavalent chromium compounds. Various authoritative bodies have recognized hexavalent chromium as a human carcinogen (Source: https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/chromium/physiologic_effects_of_chromium_exposure.html#).
- Alzheimer’s and Chromium Exposure “A significant increase in the odds of AD associated with increased blood chromium was also seen in the adjusted model: the OR per 1 kg × 10−9/m3 × 10−3 chromium increment was 2.39 (95% CI 1.32–4.31).” (Source: Alzheimer’s Disease Association with Metals and Metalloids Concentration in Blood and Urine)
- Organic Tobacco Reduces Hexavalent Chromium Exposure A significant amount of the chromium 6 in tobacco smoke originates from the pesticide residues present in all non-organic tobacco products. Smokers concerned about their exposure to chromium 6 and other heavy metals should consider switching to organically-grown tobacco products, which do not contain these pesticide residue contaminants and the added exposure to hexavalent chromium they represent, (Source 1: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5756058/) (Source 2: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5641569/).
- Heavy metals and pesticides have been shown to create synergistic effects greater than the effects of any singular exposure, and as you can see in the tables below there are plenty of pesticides in cigarettes for the heavy metals to work with. Synergistic Effects of Heavy Metals and Pesticides in Living Systems
Regarding American Spirit
I don’t have any data on heavy metals in American Spirit organic tobacco cigarettes, but the following heavy metal analysis of an unspecified American Spirit “Natural” brand is useful. It makes me wonder where the tobacco in the non-organic American Spirit “Natural” brands is grown, and to what extent it’s been treated with synthetic chemical fertilizers and pesticides. My own lab data show that Organic American Spirit has no pesticide residues while American Spirit “Blue” has relatively few but still undesirable pesticide residue concentrations that may be contributing to the heavy metal burden discussed here. It’s also worth noting that this research showed that there is a very high correlation between how much tobacco is in a cigarette – how tightly it’s packed – and how much of some of the heavy metals it delivers to the smoker. Since all of the American Spirit brands are tightly packed they rank high for some of the metals.
“American Spirit Natural cigarettes stood out with toxic metal concentrations at both the extreme high and low ends of the ranges for specific metals reported here.“
“Tobacco filler from the American Spirit Natural cigarettes was previously reported to have lower mean cobalt and manganese concentrations than tobacco from other cigarettes. Transport of cobalt and manganese in the smoke TPM obtained from these cigarettes using the Canada Intense regimen corresponded to filler concentrations that are the lowest and second lowest mean concentrations among the 50 varieties reported here.
“The filler from American Spirit also had the highest mean concentrations of cadmium and mercury. The data from Table IV show that transport of cadmium in the smoke TPM obtained from American Spirit Natural cigarettes using the Canada Intense regimen corresponded to filler cadmium concentrations that are the highest of all cigarettes in the study.
“Tobacco filler mean arsenic concentrations for American Spirit Natural cigarettes were among the top 14% of arsenic concentrations among the 50 varieties analyzed. Arsenic concentrations in smoke TPM obtained from American Spirit cigarettes using the Canada Intense regimen corresponded to the relatively high filler arsenic concentrations that are the highest of the 50 varieties analyzed.
“Lead concentrations in smoke from American Spirit cigarettes were found to be the second lowest concentration among the 50 varieties analyzed. Accordingly, American Spirit tobacco filler was among the lowest 23% of the tobacco filler lead concentrations previously reported.”
From “Toxic Metal Concentrations in Mainstream Smoke from Cigarettes Available in the USA“
Conclusion The analysis conducted by the government of Saudi Arabia reveals the presence of various heavy metals, including hexavalent chromium, in a wide range of tobacco cigarette brands. Inhalation exposure to hexavalent chromium from any source is known to pose significant health risks, including a significantly increased risk of lung cancer. Therefore pesticide residues on tobacco products represent an incremental, preventable increase in the risk of lung cancer and Alzheimer’s from smoking these products. Regulatory measures, such as adopting stricter permissible pesticide and heavy metal limits in tobacco products, and promoting the use of organically grown tobacco in tobacco products, are essential to mitigate the potential harm caused by heavy metal contaminants including hexavalent chromium from unregulated pesticides and heavy metals in cigarette smoke.
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