Cigarette Wrapping Research Articles

Effects of inhaled β‑caryophyllene on vascular stiffness in smokers: A randomized, double‑blind, placebo‑controlled trial.

Approximately 1.14 billion smokers worldwide are at risk of developing tumors, cardiovascular diseases and respiratory diseases. Smoking cessation is the first choice of health care; however, the disease should be attenuated in individuals who never stop smoking, which escalates medical costs. Therefore, alternative options are needed to manage the social burden. The present study proposed an alternative method to prevent such diseases by inhalation of β-caryophyllene (BCP). A placebo-targeted, dose-searching, double-blind, parallel-group comparative study was conducted on 19 subjects. The BCP intervention was performed using a flavor capsule inserted in a cigarette filter. The primary endpoint was the reducibility of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). The secondary endpoints were confirmation of the bioavailability of BCP inhalation with cigarette smoke, confirmation of the effect of BCP inhalation on respiratory function, and association between respiratory function and blood concentration and baPWV reduction. The BCP concentration in the blood reached 4 ng/ml in the BCP 15% group 10 min after inhalation. The baPWV decreased in BCP-inhaling subjects whose initial baPWV was >1,300 cm/sec. The correlation analyses revealed that the higher the forced expiratory volume in 1 sec, the better the transition of baPWV. Inhaled BCP with cigarette smoke could reduce the baPWV and the risk of cardiovascular diseases in smokers. These findings indicated that with the introduction of BCP capsule-cigarettes in the future, smokers will be able to take care of their health, which may help reduce national medical costs. BCP microcapsules placed in cigarette wrapping paper may possibly reduce the risk of sidestream smoke and contribute to improved public health. This clinical research was retrospectively registered in the University Hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN)-Clinical Trials Registry with the following identifications: UMIN000048510 and UMIN000048512 on August 15, 2022.

Evaluation of mercury content in combustible tobacco products by employing cold vapor atomic absorption spectroscopy and considering the moisture content: a comprehensive study

Plants are mainly made up of water, which constitutes between 80 and 90% of their weight. Moisture factor comes across as one of the most important in tobacco products. Rapid determination of moisture content in tobacco products comes at necessity in any tobacco management plants (before and after production). Therefore, the concern has been raised in this study to evaluate the moisture content in four kinds of combustible tobacco products using the gravimetric method. In addition, a total mercury content using cold vapour atomic absorption spectroscopy has been evaluated in all chosen combustible tobacco products in this study. Determining moisture content in four types of tobacco products does not show significant differences within a product group. Moisture content ranged from 7.9% in bidis to 25% in pipe tobaccos. Mercury content in tobacco ranged from 13 µg/kg to 32 µg/kg while in cigarette wrapper paper and filter from the limit of detection (LOD) < 1.3 µg/kg to 8.2 µg/kg. As evidenced, cigarette wrapper paper and filters alone are unlikely to be a significant source of consumer exposure to mercury. However, the proposed sample preparation method provides good results for the preparation of specific material, such as tobacco products.Graphical abstract

Nanostructured cigarette wrapper encapsulated PDMS‐RGO sandwiched composite for high performance EMI shielding applications

AbstractHere, we report a unique hybrid sandwich‐type composite structure consisting of waste cigarette wrapper (CW) inserted in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) composite matrix that displays a high EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) of ~50.79 dB in the extended Ku‐band. The function of the inserted CW is to facilitate the multiple reflections and heat dissipation as it contains an Al coating. The interior of CW in the composite as well as the three‐dimensional conductive networks of RGO throughout the PDMS matrix facilitates the microwave absorption through conductive dissipation and heat dissipation. Thus, an absorption‐multiple reflection‐absorption pathway is followed due to the combination of three sandwiched layers, that is, PDMS‐RGO, CW, and PDMS‐RGO. The sandwich architecture of the hybrid PDMS nanocomposite containing both CW and RGO displays a superior EMI SE over the nanocomposite that only contains RGO as filler in PDMS matrix. Moreover, the fabricated composite displays a high thermal conductivity which helps to dissipate the radiated microwave energy via a Joule heating effect. Thus, the fabricated lightweight and flexible hybrid composite structure could be an efficient microwave absorber which offers an attractive and cost‐effective alternative approach to metal based conventional EMI shielding materials.

Analysis of chemical constituents in mainstream bidi smoke

Bidi, an indigenous form of cigarette in South Asian countries, is popular because of its low cost and multi-flavored variants. Although recent studies have shown that bidi smokers suffer from various adverse health effects including cancer, research on bidi smoke composition and exposure levels is still very limited. In this research, the vapor and particulate phases of bidi were characterized using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR). The amounts of nicotine, cotinine, indole, substituted phenols, substituted pyridines, and phytol found in different size fractions of the particulate matter collected using a cascade impactor were reported. Due to the low combustibility of the tendu leaf in bidi, a six-second puff interval was used to sample the smoke constituents for analysis. Significant levels of carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, and hydrocarbons like ethylene, methane and 1, 3-butadiene were detected in the mainstream bidi smoke. In addition, 3-methylpyridine, cotinine, α-amyrin, and β-amyrin were also present at high levels in bidi smoke. Despite having less tobacco compared to conventional cigarette, bidi smokers are potentially exposed to significantly higher concentrations of nicotine due to the greater puffing frequency. The non-porous nature and higher moisture content of tendu leaf in bidis compared to cigarette wrapping paper led to higher levels of carbon monoxide and tar in bidi smoke compared to regular cigarette smoke. Results of this study indicate the presence of harmful and carcinogenic chemicals in the mainstream bidi smoke that could be harmful to human health.

Insight into Cigarette Wrapper and Electroactive Polymer Based Efficient TENG as Biomechanical Energy Harvester for Smart Electronic Applications

Here, we demonstrated an arc shaped flexible triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) that efficiently harvests asymmetrical mechanical energy for powering several portable electronic devices. Here the fabrication of TENG is based on the integration of a cigarette wrapper, spongelike poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) film, and conducting carbon tape. Here, the spongelike PVDF film was prepared through nonsolvent induced phase separation (NIPS) technique (by simply spraying PVDF solution on a water surface in a Petri dish). Owing to the low density of the PVDF sponge and the cigarette wrapper, the final device with a volume of 6.6 cm3 shows a total mass of 1.259 g. The fabricated TENG exhibits open circuit voltage of ∼342 V and short circuit current of ∼8.1 μA on frequencies of ∼3.4 Hz without electrospinning and poling treatment under finger tapping, which gives a maximum area power density of ∼0.37 mW/cm2 at a load resistance of 40 MΩ. The TENG shows excellent durability without any change in output performance successively for 7 days (193200 cycles). Also, this device directly lit up 136 commercial LEDs instantly without any rectification unit and sensed different types of mechanical forces. With easy fabrication and cost-effective technique, this work paves a new and smart way to fabricate high performance TENG for powering portable electronic appliances.

The science behind the development and performance of reduced ignition propensity cigarettes

A burning cigarette is a known cause of fire when mishandled. Studies into cigarette ignition propensity intensified after the US Cigarette Fire Safety Act of 1984. Extensive research has investigated the thermal properties of a smouldering cigarette, mostly away from any object of thermal contact or interference. To understand fire ignition, the thermophysics of cigarette’s burning tip has also been examined with and without a contact substrate. In either free or contact smouldering cases, oxygen diffusion through the cigarette wrapping paper has been found to be an important parameter controlling the rate of burn and the energy released. Research by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology led to a standardized test method to determine cigarette ignition propensity, and eventually regulations enforcing Reduced Ignition Propensity (RIP) cigarettes have been passed in all US states and other countries. Among the physical parameters of a burning cigarette related to its thermal energy release, circumferential bands applied to the cigarette wrapping paper that reduce air permeability or diffusivity during smouldering have become the main approach to produce commercial RIP cigarettes. Studies have been performed to ensure that RIP cigarettes have equivalent or lower mainstream smoke yields and biological activities as compared with their conventional non-RIP equivalents. The effects of the paper band properties (width, gap between the bands, type as well as the amount of the material applied) have been studied systematically to establish a manufacturability window. Studies on human smoking behaviour confirmed that RIP cigarettes matched closely their predecessors. The bands, as intended, alter the combustion temperatures during cigarette smouldering within the band. Further research into the interaction of RIP cigarettes with different types of commercial upholstery fabrics and materials should help to understand its mechanism of action in support of emerging post-implementation fire statistics.

Diffusion of Moisture in a Cigarette Tobacco Column at Room Conditions

Abstract The moisture content of cigarettes has a significant impact on the shelf life and the taste of the products as well as various physical properties of cigarettes including loose ends, burning rate, hardness, and pressure drop. To prepare better products it would be helpful to develop proper mathematical models for the simulation of moisture diffusion characteristic dynamics in a cigarette. In this work, four mathematical models have been developed with appropriate assumptions adequate to analyze the dynamics of moisture diffusion in cigarettes. The simulation of the derived models was also carried out in this work. When the theoretical values produced from each model were compared with the corresponding experimental data, it was found that three models (I-II, II, III) can be used to explain the behavior of moisture in cigarettes. Convective mass transfer coefficients and effective moisture diffusivities that fit best were obtained by a regression analysis of the model using the experimental values. The simulation of the models revealed that there is no significant positional dependence of moisture content inside a tobacco column because most of the moisture dries out radially through the cigarette wrapper. The drying rate of moisture in a tobacco column is rarely affected by effective moisture diffusivity, but strongly influenced by convective mass transfer. To prevent quality deterioration of the cigarettes during long-term storage, it is concluded that improvement of the cigarette wrapper and air tightness of the package, which are directly related to the convective mass transfer, is very important.

Determination of trace and minor elements in Mexican cigarette wrapping paper

The concentration of 14 elements in cigarette wrapping papers used in manufacturing 21 different Mexican cigarette brands was measured using instrumental thermal neutron activation analysis. These elements are As, Ba, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Fe, K, Na, Rb, Sb, Sc, Sr, Th and Zn. The concentration of the elements was compared with the reported concentration in similar studies for elemental content in Pakistani, American, Chinese, Egyptian, Jordanian and Iranian cigarette wrapping papers.

Multielement determination in a Chinese cigarette brand

A cigarette brand manufactured in the Republic of China was analyzed by instrumental neutron activation analysis to determine the concentration of 27 elements in cigarette tobacco, cigarette wrapping paper, cigarette filter before and after smoking and in the dropped ash. The results were compared to the literature values for American and other international cigarette brands.

Cigarette ash as a possible source of environmental contamination

The ash remaining from machine smoking of 12 different American cigarette brands has been examined by instrumental neutron activation analysis. The mean concentrations are (element concentration in μg g −1): Al 6070; Ba 375; Br 420; Ca 161 500; Ce 11·1; Cl 23 000; Co 3·58; Cr 21·2; Cs 0·653; Eu 0·154; Fe 3040; Hf 1·33; K 151 000; La 10·3; Mg 12 800; Mn 1250; Na 3460; Ni 24·7; Rb 82·1; Sb 0·741; Sc 0·894; Se 0·361; Sr 373; Th 1·06; Ti 1910; V 11·1; and Zn 221. Arsenic was not detected in all the samples examined. The chemical composition of cigarette wrapping paper has been found to affect the elemental concentration in the ash examined. The possible source of the elements of interest in cigarette ash is discussed and the results are compared with the literature values.

Egyptian and foreign cigarettes

The concentration of 27 elements has been measured using neutron activation analysis in a cigarette brand commercially manufactured in Egypt and in three foreign brands available on the Egyptian market. The cigarette components examined were cigarette tobacco, cigarette wrapping paper and cigarette ash. All results are expressed in absolute values per cigarette. The concentration of Al, As, Ba, Br, Cl, Cs, Eu, Fe, Mn, Na, Ni, Rb, Sb, Sc, Sr, Th, Ti and V in the Egyptian cigarette were above the range determined for the foreign brands examined; however, Ce, Co, Cr, Hf, K, La, Mg, Se and Zn were within that range. Except for K, Mn, Ni and Ti, the above conclusions was the same for elements determined in the ash. The wrapping paper used for the Egyptian cigarette contains the lowest quantity of Cl and Mn.

Determination of toxic elements in tobacco products by instrumental neutron activation analysis

The concentration of 15 elements in various brands of cigarette tobacco and cigarette wrapping paper were determined using instrumental neutron activation analysis. The paper of some of the brands contains higher concentrations of toxic elements than the tobacco. The cigarette filter and the ash were also analyzed to determine the adsorption of toxic elements on the filter and their transference in smoke. The toxic effects of some of the elements have been briefly discussed.

The Permeability of Cigarette Papers and Cigarette Ventilation

AbstractThe importance of determining not only the nominal permeability of papers, but also the nature of the flow resistance was confirmed, for cigarette wrapper and for papers used in constructing ventilated filters. For perforated papers, for which the flow is not proportional to pressure drop, it was shown that logarithmic plotting and the use of the form V = k (D P)