Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in US and Swedish smokeless tobacco products

Harriet Kimpton,Brad Rodu,Arif Faizi,Andrew Porter,Kevin G Mcadam

doi:10.1186/1752-153x-7-151

Harriet Kimpton, Brad Rodu + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/1752-153x-7-151

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Abstract

BackgroundDebate about the health implications of using smokeless tobacco products (STPs) has prompted considerable interest in characterising their levels of toxic and carcinogenic components. In the present study seventy smokeless tobacco products from the US and Sweden, categorized as chewing tobacco, dry and moist snuff, hard and soft pellets, plug, and loose and portion snus, were analysed for twenty one polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The tested brands represented 80-90% of the 2008 market share for the major STP categories in these two countries.ResultsThere were significant differences in the total and individual PAH concentrations in the different styles of product. Substantially higher levels of total PAHs (10–60 fold) were found in moist and dry snuff and soft pellets than in the other smokeless tobacco styles. The individual PAH concentrations followed the same patterns as total PAHs except for naphthalene, for which the highest concentrations were found in snus and moist snuff. Good correlations were obtained between benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) and all the other PAHs except naphthalene, 1-methylnaphthalene and 2-methylnaphthalene, providing evidence for the first time that it can be used as a good marker for PAHs in STPs. Results were generally in good agreement with two previous studies of PAHs in STPs, except for naphthalene for which significantly lower concentrations were found than previously reported. Analysis of the ratios of different PAHs confirmed that the use of fire-cured tobaccos in the snuffs and soft pellet were the major source of PAHs in these product styles, and provided, for the first time, some indications as to the source of PAHs in the other STP styles, including petrogenic and other combustion sources.ConclusionsThis study confirms the presence of PAHs in STPs, and identifies substantial differences between the levels in different STP categories. Since previous studies of naphthalene concentrations in STPs differed so markedly from those found in this study, it is recommended that further work on PAH determination is undertaken to investigate the source of this discrepancy.

Highlights

Debate about the health implications of using smokeless tobacco products (STPs) has prompted considerable interest in characterising their levels of toxic and carcinogenic components
dry weight basis (DWB) concentrations account for variability in moisture and permit comparisons across different STP categories
Substantial differences were found in the FLNT/(FLNT + PYR) ratios between PS, LS and hard pellet (HP) products, and the group of STP categories comprising Chewing Tobacco (CT) (mean within category FLNT/(FLNT + PYR) = 0.1), plug (0.12), Dry Snuff (DS) (0.2), Moist Snuff (MS) (0.18) and soft pellet (SP) (0.22)

Summary

Introduction

Debate about the health implications of using smokeless tobacco products (STPs) has prompted considerable interest in characterising their levels of toxic and carcinogenic components. IARC Monograph 89 [1] summarised the identification of 28 carcinogens in STPs including a number of tobacco specific nitrosamines, PAHs, including B[a]P, are a group of chemicals that are formed during the incomplete burning of organic material such as coal, oil, gas, wood, tobacco and charbroiled meat. In particular, the curing process can introduce PAHs to the leaf if the tobacco is exposed to exhaust gases from heat sources that rely on burning wood or other organic fuels [7]. Fire cured tobaccos, whose production involves direct contact of the leaf with wood-smoke, contain high concentrations of PAHs [8]

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