Determination of cyanide in urine and saliva samples by ion chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection

Commonly known as a highly toxic chemical, cyanide is also an essential reagent for many industrial processes. It naturally occurs in plant seeds as cyanogenic glycosides. Another relatively common mode of cyanide exposure is inhalation of environmental tobacco smoke. This study concerns importance to determine cyanide ion in human biological samples. Urine and saliva samples were collected healthy volunteers exposed to tobacco smoke (active smokers) and environmental tobacco smoke (passive smokers). Chromatographic separation was achieved with an anion-exchange column and separated ions were detected by a pulsed amperometric detector. The method produced linear response in a specific concentration range of cyanide ion. The limit of detection was estimated at 0.1  and 0.5 µg/dm³ for urine and saliva samples, respectively. Cyanide ion concentrations in samples ranged from not detected (below LOD) to 12.88 µg/dm³. The comparison of results of biological samples analyses shows an increasing trend in cyanide concentration that may suggest that environmental tobacco smoke might have an impact on human health.