Formation of mainstream cigarette smoke constituents prioritized by the World Health Organization – Yield patterns observed in market surveys, clustering and inverse correlations

Abstract

The WHO TobReg proposed mandating ceilings on selected smoke constituents determined from the market-specific median of nicotine-normalized yield distributions. Data validating this regulatory concept were obtained from essentially single-blend surveys. This process is strongly impacted by inverse correlations among yields. In the present study, 18 priority WHO smoke constituent yields (nicotine-normalized) were determined (using two smoking regimens) from 262 commercial brands including American, Virginia and local blends from 13 countries. Principal Component Analysis was used to identify yields patterns, clustering of blend types and the inverse correlations causing these clusters. Three principal components explain about 75% of total data variability. PC1 was sensitive to the relative levels of gas- and particle-phase compounds. PC2 and PC3 cluster American- and Virginia-blends, revealing inverse correlations: Nitrogen oxides and amino- or nitroso-aromatic compounds inversely correlate to either formaldehyde and acrolein, or benzo(a)pyrene and di-hydroxybenzenes. These results can be explained by reviewing the processes determining each components smoke delivery. Regulatory initiatives simultaneously targeting selected smoke constituents in markets with mixed blend styles will be strongly impacted by the inverse correlations described. It is difficult to predict the ultimate impact of such regulations on public health, considering the complex chemistry of cigarette smoke formation.

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

“…The various toxicants in mainstream smoke are formed by distinct physical and chemical processes (Baker 2006;Piadé et al 2013), which may be altered differentially (i.e. increased or decreased) by modifications in the RIP cigarette design.…”

Selected Constituent Yield Variation in the Smoke of Commercial Cigarette Brands on the Japanese Market

“…The measurement variation in the yields of 1,3-butadiene in smoke was highlighted since similar trends were observed in commercial cigarette brands and monitor cigarettes (7). PIADÉ et al summarized the precursors and possible selective filtration of smoke constituents that were targeted in this study (14). The factors affecting the variation in the yields of NNN and NNK in smoke have been reported and explained by their yields present in the tobacco filler blend (7, 9, and 12).…”

Toxicological assessment of kretek cigarettes

“…The fact that the yield reduction is lower than in the case of the other aldehydes may be linked to the similar levels of mono-and disaccharides observed in the filler of all cigarettes; deliveries of these compounds have been shown to be correlated with formaldehyde yield Roemer et al, 2012a). Moreover, kretek cigarettes have much lower nitrogen contents than the reference cigarette 2R4F, and elevated formaldehyde yields are usually observed in the smoke of products with low nitrogen contents (Piadé et al, 2013). The PAH yields were essentially the same in all investigated cigarettes when normalized to TPM.…”

“…normalized deliveries from Garam, Sampoerna and Kretek-R cigarettes are only about 30%, 60% and 50% of the reference cigarette 2R4F for the delivery of acrolein, and about 25%, 45% and 40% for acetaldehyde. Short-chain aldehydes in smoke do not share a common formation pathway (Piadé et al, 2013;Sanders et al, 2002). They are considered to be formed, in part, by the decomposition of carbohydrates or their derivatives (Baker, 1999(Baker, , 2006Sanders et al, 2002), but in the case of acetaldehyde the main precursors have not been fully identified (Teillet et al, 2012).…”