Analysis of trace uranium in Indian tobacco samples

The trace uranium concentrations have been determined in tobacco obtained from different brands of commercially available cigarette, beedi, chewing tobacco and also in pan masala, using fission track registration technique. Consumption of tobacco orally or by smoking may result in the intake of radioactive elements into the human body causing hazardous effects. External detector method was employed for the determination of uranium using Makrofol-KG as the fission track detector. The range of uranium was found to vary between 0.066–0.106 ppm, 0.042–0.079 ppm and 0.043–0.092 ppm, in tobacco from samples of cigarette, beedi and chewing tobacco, respectively, and between 0.073–0.203 ppm in pan masala samples.