Heavy Metal Contamination and Health Risk Assessment of Roll-Your-Own Tobacco in Türkiye

Abstract The increasing popularity of roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco has raised toxicological concerns regarding heavy metal exposure. This study quantified fourteen metals (Fe, Zn, Mn, Cr, Cu, Ni, Cd, Mo, Co, Sb, Pb, As, Hg, and V) in RYO tobacco samples collected from ten provinces in Türkiye using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Fe exhibited the highest mean concentration (18.11 mg.kg −1 ), followed by Zn (10.53 mg.kg −1 ) and Mn (5.020 mg.kg −1 ), whereas As (0.041 mg.kg −1 ), Hg (0.015 mg.kg −1 ) and V (0.001 mg.kg −1 ) occurred at the lowest concentrations. Statistically significant correlations were observed, including Fe-Hg (r = 0.97, p < 0.001) and Zn-As (r = -0.77, p < 0.01), indicating shared geochemical influences and contrasting uptake patterns. Health risk assessment following USEPA guidelines indicated that all Hazard Quotients (HQ < 1) and Hazard Index (HI = 4.8 × 10 –3 ) remained below the non-carcinogenic threshold, and Carcinogenic Risk values ranged from 2.50 × 10 –7 to 2.00 × 10 –10 and remained below 10 –6 . The results characterize metal exposure levels in RYO tobacco and indicate potential toxic elements as elements requiring continued monitoring due to their toxicological relevance.