First report on BTEX leaching from waterpipe tobacco wastes (WTWs) into aquatic environment
Mohammad Reza Masjedi,
Zahra Torkshavand,
Hossein Arfaeinia,
Sina Dobaradaran,
Farshid Soleimani,
Akram Farhadi,
Roshana Rashidi,
Thomas E. Novotny,
Sara Dadipoor,
Torsten C. Schmidt
Affiliations
Mohammad Reza Masjedi
Tobacco Control Research Center (TCRC), Iranian Anti-Tobacco Association, Tehran, Iran
Zahra Torkshavand
Environmental and Occupational Health Research Center, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran
Hossein Arfaeinia
Systems Environmental Health and Energy Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran; Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran; Corresponding author.Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health and Nutrition, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran.
Sina Dobaradaran
Systems Environmental Health and Energy Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran; Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran; Instrumental Analytical Chemistry and Centre for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU), Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, Essen, Germany; Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, Essen, 45141, Germany; Corresponding author.Systems Environmental Health and Energy Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran.
Farshid Soleimani
Tobacco and Health Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
Akram Farhadi
The Persian Gulf Tropical Medicine Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
Roshana Rashidi
Department of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr, Iran
Thomas E. Novotny
School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, United States; San Diego State University Research Foundation, San Diego, CA 92182, United States
Sara Dadipoor
Tobacco and Health Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
Torsten C. Schmidt
Instrumental Analytical Chemistry and Centre for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU), Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, Essen, Germany; Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, Essen, 45141, Germany
Waterpipe tobacco wastes (WTWs) may contain considerable levels of hazardous contaminants such as BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o-xylene, and m/p-xylene). However, no research has been carried out on BTEX levels in WTWs and the release of these pollutants into the water environment. This research examined the levels of BTEX in WTWs of flavored/local tobacco and also the release rate of these toxins into three kinds of water, including seawater (SW), tap water (TW), and distilled water (DW) with different leaching times (15, 30 min, 1.2, 4, 8 h, and 1, 2, and 4 days). The mean contents of BTEX in WTW samples of Al-Mahmoud, Al-Fakher, Mazaya, Al-Ayan brands, and local tobacco samples were 17.0 ± 4.14, 19.1 ± 4.65, 19.6 ± 4.19, 18.8 ± 4.14, and 3.16 ± 0.63 μg/kg, respectively. The mean BTEX levels in flavored tobacco samples were considerably greater than that of local tobacco (p < 0.05). The WTWs leaching experiments showed that the levels of BTEX ranged from 5.26 to 6.12, 5.02–5.60, and 3.83–5.46 μg/L in DW, TW, and SW, respectively. All target compounds were found for all exposure times in DW, TW, and SW samples. After adding sodium azide as an antibacterial agent to water samples (simulating biodegradation processes), higher levels of BTEX compounds were detected in SW. Further research is needed to address the potential environmental hazards due to WTWs leaching into aquatic environments.
