Potential exposure from smoking parathion-contaminated cigarettes

Pesticide workers usually contaminate their cigarettes with less than 100 microgram per cigarette by handling them, but in some instances such contamination has been found to be over 200 microgram. To obtain values for potential exposure resulting from smoking contaminated filter tip and nonfilter cigarettes, from 10 to 200 microgram of parathion was applied to the cigarette surface area found to be most often contaminated by hands. This was followed in two separate experiments by simulated smoking using a special apparatus to determine (1) passage of toxic material through cigarettes in mainstream smoke, (2) amount found in sidestream smoke, (3) amount trapped in the filter or equivalent butt end, and (4) amount recovered in ashes. The amount of parathion passing through cigarettes as a potential for inhalation exposure ranged up to 28% of dosing levels. No paraoxon or S-ethyl parathion was detected. Although there was an indication that slightly more pesticide was recovered from filters than from equivalent butt ends, the amount recovered in mainstream smoke of filter type cigarettes was not significantly lower than for nonfilter cigarettes. Location of contamination on a cigarette had minimal effect on the amount found in mainstream smoke.