Reduced tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide exposure while smoking ultralow- but not low-yield cigarettes

Journal Article · Fri Jul 11 00:00:00 EDT 1986 · JAMA, J. Am. Med. Assoc.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.256.2.241· OSTI ID:5070819

Benowitz, N L; Jacob, P III; Yu, L; Talcott, R; Hall, S; Jones, R T

An unresolved public health issue is whether some modern cigarettes are less hazardous than other and whether patients who cannot stop smoking should be advised to switch to lower-yield cigarettes. The authors studied tar (estimated by urine mutagenicity), nicotine, and carbon monoxide exposure in habitual smokers switched from their usual brand to high- (15 mg of tar), low- (5 mg of tar), or ultralow-yield (1 mg of tar) cigarettes. There were no differences in exposure comparing high- or low-yield cigarettes, but tar and nicotine exposures were reduced by 49% and 56%, respectively, and carbon monoxide exposure by 36% while smoking ultralow-yield cigarettes. Similarly, in 248 subjects smoking their self-selected brand, nicotine intake, estimated by blood concentrations of its metabolite continine, was 40% lower in those who smoked ultralow but no different in those smoking higher yields of cigarettes. The data indicate that ultralow-yield cigarettes do deliver substantial doses of tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide, but that exposure are considerably less than for other cigarettes.

• Research Organization: San Francisco General Hospital Medical Center, CA
• OSTI ID: 5070819
• Journal Information: JAMA, J. Am. Med. Assoc.; (United States), Vol. 256:2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
NICOTINE
BLOOD CHEMISTRY
TOBACCO PRODUCTS
EVALUATION
TOBACCO SMOKES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CARBON MONOXIDE
METABOLITES
PATIENTS
PUBLIC HEALTH
TAR
URINE
AEROSOLS
ALKALOIDS
AMINES
AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AGENTS
AZINES
AZOLES
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BIOLOGICAL WASTES
BODY FLUIDS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
DRUGS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
MATERIALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARASYMPATHOLYTICS
PARASYMPATHOMIMETICS
PYRIDINES
PYRROLES
PYRROLIDINES
RESIDUES
SMOKES
SOLS
WASTES
560306* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology- Man- (-1987)