Public Health Research 2014, 4(1): 39-44 DOI: 10.5923/j.phr.20140401.07 Determination of Macro and Trace Elements in Moassel Used in Waterpipe in Jordan Akeel Al-Kazwini 1,* , Stephanie Sdepanian 2 , Adi J. Said 3 1 Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Applied Medical Sciences, German Jordanian University, Amman-Jordan 2 Scientific Research Centre, Knowledge Sector, Royal Scientific Society, Amman-Jordan 3 Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, School of Applied Medical Sciences, German Jordanian University, Amman-Jordan Abstract The growing trend of waterpipe smoking worldwide is supporting the need to investigate the health effects of this form of tobacco use. While a number of studies have begun bridging the knowledge gap, few have attempted to quantify the concentration of toxic and essential metals smokers are exposed to. This study aims to determine the amount of Bi, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb and V smokers are exposed to in one smoking session using the waterpipe. Commercially available waterpipe tobacco samples (Moassel) were selected and the total metal content quantified through acid digestion, and the amount of metal available through smoke was then calculated. Comparing the findings of this study to recommended dietary intakes of the metals in question, it was concluded that heavy smokers and chronic users were most at risk from the adverse effects of prolonged metal exposure. Keywords Waterpipe, Moassel, Smokers, Tobacco, Toxic metals, Macro nutrients, Trace elements 1. Introduction The practice of waterpipe smoking has imbedded itself into numerous societies worldwide[1,2]. There have been a number of studies investigating the prevalence of waterpipe tobacco smoking. In a study by Maziak (2011)[3] it was found that between 6% and 34% of Middle Eastern adolescents and between 5% and 17% of American adolescents were waterpipe users. With the increasing popularity of waterpipe smoking worldwide, the dangers of water pipe tobacco are no longer restricted to the African and Asian countries where the tradition originates[4]. One of the associated dangers of waterpipe use lies in its social nature. A single pipe may be shared among a number of users increasing the possibility of spreading diseases[5]. More recently, with the pretence of a more hygienic alternative to the traditional leather pipe, the disposable plastic pipe has become more available. However this trend may present new risks to the user as the air tight plastic hose (shown in Figure 1) appeared to greatly increase the extent of carbon monoxide exposure in a study conducted by Saleh and Shihadeh (2008)[6]. While the influence of hose material has not been investigated for metals it may follow a similar trend in terms of exposure. Several studies have investigated the concentration and exposure of waterpipe users to polyaromatic hydrocarbons, * Corresponding author: akeel.alkazwini@gju.edu.jo (Akeel Al-Kazwini) Published online at http://journal.sapub.org/phr Copyright © 2014 Scientific & Academic Publishing. All Rights Reserved volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, nitrogen monoxide, furanic compounds and radionuclides[7-10]; there are only a few studies focusing on the study of metals in waterpipe tobacco[4]. Figure 1. An example of the waterpipe (‘Shisha’) set-up including the ‘head’ for containing the tobacco, the plastic hose for drawing smoke and the water vessel through which the smoke is bubbled Waterpipe tobacco (otherwise known as ‘Moassel’) is a mixture of tobacco leaves, molasses and glycerine. The mixture is often enhanced through the use of essential oils, flavouring material and humectants such as glycerol and