New Attempt to Reduce the Harm of Smoking: Reducing the Nitrosamines Level in Tobacco Smoke by Microwave Irradiation

Abstract

In order to protect the environment and public health, microwave irradiation was investigated as a means of reducing the nitrosamines level of tobacco smoke under mild conditions where the microwave energy was 1 kW and the irradiation time was shorter than 2 min. The microwave-induced elimination of nitrosamines such as Nnitrosopyrrolidine (NPYR) and N-nitrosodiphenylamine (NDPA) was investigated and the impact of the presence of water and salt in the medium on the reduction was assessed in detail. The existence of water in the medium was crucial for the microwave-induced reduction of NDPA, because the rapid movement of water molecules under the influence of microwaves strongly affects the adjacent nitrosamines leading to their decomposition. This was the first time that microwaves have been used to directly irradiate cigarettes sealed in their packaging, and the nitrosamines content of tobacco and smoke of these irradiated cigarettes were analyzed with care. Irradiation for 90 s with microwave energy of 1kW was seen to reduce 25 to 30% of the nitrosamines in tobacco and 50 to 60% of the levels present in the mainstream smoke of the cigarette. Moreover, lower mutagenic activity and higher CHO cell livability were found for the irradiated cigarettes in comparison with the control according to the results of in vitro tests.

Degradation of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and its precursor dimethylamine (DMA) in mineral micropores induced by microwave irradiation

“…Up to one-third of the N-nitrosodiphenylamine sorbed (from dichloromethane solution) on mesoporous siliceous SBA-15 containing 10% CuO degraded after being irradiated by 1000 W microwave for 45 s (Xu et al, 2008). Irradiation of cigarettes sealed in its packaging by microwave (1000 W) for 90 s reduced the contents of nitrosamines in the tobacco and mainstream smoke by 25e30 and 50e60%, respectively (Gao et al, 2009). Nonetheless, no previous study has investigated the destruction of NDMA or other nitrosamines sorbed in the micropores of microwave-transparent mineral sorbents.…”

“…A limited number of studies on mitigating the risk of nitrosamines in tobacco and tobacco smoke have shown that these compounds could be decomposed by microwave treatment (Xu et al, 2008;Gao et al, 2009). Up to one-third of the N-nitrosodiphenylamine sorbed (from dichloromethane solution) on mesoporous siliceous SBA-15 containing 10% CuO degraded after being irradiated by 1000 W microwave for 45 s (Xu et al, 2008).…”