American cigarettes worse than British ones
Source: Agencies |
June 3, 2010, Thursday
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AMERICANS inhale more cancer-causing agents with their cigarettes, probably because of the tobacco blend, while smokers in Canada, Britain and Australia get less, United States researchers reported on Tuesday.
Their unique study also demonstrated that the amounts of these carcinogens in a smoker's cigarette butts directly correlated with tell-tale compounds in the smoker's urine. The study, published in the June issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, can help researchers trying to trace the harmful effects of smoking.
"We know that cigarettes from around the world vary in their ingredients and the way they are produced," said Dr Jim Pirkle of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who heads a lab using a mass spectrometer to measure levels of chemicals in people's bodies.
"All of these cigarettes contain harmful levels of carcinogens, but these findings show that amounts of tobacco-specific nitrosamines differ from country to country, and US brands are the highest in the study." CDC's David Ashley and colleagues tested 126 smokers in the US, Canada, Britain and Australia.
"Seventeen eligible cigarette brands (between three and five brands from each country) were selected on the basis of national sales and nicotine yield to identify popular brands with a range of ventilation," the researchers wrote. Ventilation is how much air is mixed in with the smoke from the cigarette as it is inhaled.
The volunteers had their saliva and urine tested and also handed in their used cigarette butts. These were all tested for nicotine and for the chemicals 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK for short) and the breakdown product of NNK in the body, called NNAL. These cancer-causing agents are known as tobacco-specific nitrosamines or TSNAs.
"We have shown a direct association between the 24-hour mouth-level exposure of NNK resulting from cigarette smoking and the concentration of its primary metabolite, NNAL, in the urine of smokers," the researchers wrote.
"Internal dose concentrations of urinary NNAL are significantly lower in smokers in countries that have lower TSNA levels in cigarettes such as Canada and Australia in contrast to countries that have high levels of these carcinogens in cigarettes, such as the United States."
The popular US cigarettes studied contained "American blend" tobacco, known to contain higher TSNA levels than the "bright" tobacco used in the most popular Australian, Canadian and British brands.
Their unique study also demonstrated that the amounts of these carcinogens in a smoker's cigarette butts directly correlated with tell-tale compounds in the smoker's urine. The study, published in the June issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, can help researchers trying to trace the harmful effects of smoking.
"We know that cigarettes from around the world vary in their ingredients and the way they are produced," said Dr Jim Pirkle of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who heads a lab using a mass spectrometer to measure levels of chemicals in people's bodies.
"All of these cigarettes contain harmful levels of carcinogens, but these findings show that amounts of tobacco-specific nitrosamines differ from country to country, and US brands are the highest in the study." CDC's David Ashley and colleagues tested 126 smokers in the US, Canada, Britain and Australia.
"Seventeen eligible cigarette brands (between three and five brands from each country) were selected on the basis of national sales and nicotine yield to identify popular brands with a range of ventilation," the researchers wrote. Ventilation is how much air is mixed in with the smoke from the cigarette as it is inhaled.
The volunteers had their saliva and urine tested and also handed in their used cigarette butts. These were all tested for nicotine and for the chemicals 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK for short) and the breakdown product of NNK in the body, called NNAL. These cancer-causing agents are known as tobacco-specific nitrosamines or TSNAs.
"We have shown a direct association between the 24-hour mouth-level exposure of NNK resulting from cigarette smoking and the concentration of its primary metabolite, NNAL, in the urine of smokers," the researchers wrote.
"Internal dose concentrations of urinary NNAL are significantly lower in smokers in countries that have lower TSNA levels in cigarettes such as Canada and Australia in contrast to countries that have high levels of these carcinogens in cigarettes, such as the United States."
The popular US cigarettes studied contained "American blend" tobacco, known to contain higher TSNA levels than the "bright" tobacco used in the most popular Australian, Canadian and British brands.
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