The Heavy Metals in Human Body Fluids Related to the Tobacco Smoke: A Systematic Review

Metals are a part of trace nutrients necessary for our body. They enter the body and accumulate there in different ways such as drinking water, food, smoking, and the like. In addition, they can lead to harmful health effects. In this study, three databases, including ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Springer, were searched, and articles dealing with the monitoring of metals in human body liquids related to tobacco consumption were selected. The results demonstrated that the total concentration of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in the hair of children, who were exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (Child E-ETS), was higher than that of children not exposed to tobacco smoke (Child NE-ETS) (4.89 vs. 4.82 μg/g). It was similar for the blood of the children (32.58 vs. 28.3 μg/L). The concentration of Pb, Cd, and arsenic in the blood of adult smokers was significantly higher than that of adult non-smokers (22.07, 1.37, and 22.42 vs. 13.81, 0.57, and 7.51 μg/L). The concentration of the metals in the plasma was higher than the remaining fluids. The concentration of Cd was 0.3286 ± 0.0982 and 0.2759 ± 0.1239 μg/g in the urine of adult smokers and non-smokers, respectively. The results indicated that tobacco smoking could increase some metals in body liquids while decreasing some essential elements of the body, including iron.