Toxic Metal Contamination of Locally Produced Tobacco in Tamale Metropolis in Northern Region of Ghana

The study was to analyze and determine the toxic metal contamination level of locally produced tobacco sold in the Tamale Metropolis of Northern region. The study was carried out at the Tamale Metropolis of Northern region of Ghana within a period of 12 months. The study focused on the analyses of five (5) toxic metal contaminants in twelve (12) variant locally produced tobacco sold in various spots within the Tamale Metropolis of Ghana. Toxic metals including As, Cd, Hg, Pb and Cr were analyzed using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The mean recorded concentrations of As, Cd, Hg, Pb and Cr were respectively in the ranges of 0.184 ± 0.011 to 0.515 ± 0.015 µg/kg, 0.0420 ± 0.010 to 3.100 ± 0.000 µg/kg, 0.176 ± 0.016 to 0.291 ± 0.009 µg/kg, 1.169 ± 0.019 to 3.195 ± 0.019 µg/kg and 1.600 ± 0.116 to 3.880 ± 0.369 µg/kg. The mean concentrations of As and Pb measured in all samples tested were below their respective WHO permissible limits of 4.00 ppm and 10.00 ppm. In the case of Cd, mean concentrations measured for all locally produced tobacco tested were above the WHO permissible limits of 0.30 ppm. For the metal Hg, levels measured in 75% of tested locally produced tobacco were slightly above the WHO permissible limit of 0.20 µg/kg. Cr levels measured in 30% of tested locally produced tobacco were below the WHO permissible limits of 2.00 µg/kg. The very presence of these metals typically raises health concerns on consumption in the instances where their levels exceeded permissible guideline limits. The study revealed that Cd, Hg and Cr levels in the locally produced tobacco studied were found to exceed the WHO permissible limits for human consumption by plant uptake with As and Pb levels well below their permissible thresholds. The analyzed locally produced tobacco essentially poses a threat of heavy metal toxicity to consumers via bioaccumulation and bio-concentration in human tissues.