EFFECT OF CIGARETTE-SMOKING ON COPPER, LEAD, AND CADMIUM ACCUMULATIONIN HUMAN LENS

Aim-To identify cigarette smoking as a risk factor for development of cataract, to determine the importance of copper, lead, and cadmium in cataractogenesis, and to learn about any relation between those elemen ts. Methods-Copper, lead, and cadmium concentrations were measured by atomic absorption spectroyhotometry in 37 cataractous and nine normal human lenses. Results-All three element accumulations in lenses with c ataract were statistically meaningful. Lenticular copper, lead, and ca dmium were increased significantly with cigarette smoking. Cadmium had a positive correlation both with lead and copper in cataractous lense s. Conclusion-The accumulation of copper, lead, and cadmium occurs in cataract. The probable source of cadmium in humans is cigarettes. Lent icular cadmium accumulation also increases copper and lead precipitati on in the lens. Cigarette smoking might be cataractogenic.