Distribution of major and minor alkaloids in tobacco, mainstream and sidestream smoke of popular Indian smoking products.

Various Indian smoking products--cigarette, bidi, chutta and a brand of US cigarette--were analysed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID) for the levels of nicotine and minor tobacco alkaloids in tobacco, mainstream smoke (MS) and sidestream smoke (SS) employing modified smoking standards, namely two puffs/min. The analysis clearly demonstrated relatively higher levels of nicotine and minor tobacco alkaloids in tobacco from bidi (37.7 mg/g) and chutta (34.5 mg/g) when compared with Indian and US cigarettes (14-16 mg/g) studied. Relatively lower levels (SS/MS) of nicotine in SS from bidi and chutta compared with Indian/US cigarettes, suggest that the contribution of nicotine in SS from a single bidi/chutta to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is very much less than that of a single Indian/US cigarette. Reduced levels of nicotine in SS of bidi/chutta result in relatively higher deliveries of nicotine in MS as reflected by higher MS/SS values. The observed differences are likely to be due to difference in tobacco processing, burning rate/temperature and design of the smoking product.

Chemical analysis of smoke of Indian cigarettes, bidis and other indigenous forms of smoking--levels of steam-volatile phenol, hydrogen cyanide and benzo(a)pyrene.

Levels of steam-volatile phenol, hydrogen cyanide and benzo(a)pyrene in various types of tobacco smoking products marketed in the country have been determined for the first time. Steam-volatile phenol levels in six popular brands of Indian cigarettes varied from 118 to 226 micrograms, and in six popular brands of bidis, from 129 to 273 micrograms. Cheroot and cigarillos yielded 400 micrograms and 333 micrograms steam-volatile phenol respectively. The hydrogen cyanide levels in the mainstream smoke of five popular brands of Indian cigarettes varied from 366 to 638 micrograms and in the mainstream smoke of four popular brands of bidis from 688 to 904 micrograms. Cheroot and cigarillos yielded 588 micrograms and 1119 micrograms hydrogen cyanide respectively. The values of benzo(a)pyrene content in Indian cigarettes varied from 85 to 114 ng and in bidis from 108 to 144 ng. Herbal bidi and cheroot had 1315 ng and 2519 ng benzo(a)pyrene respectively. Cigarettes were smoked as per international standard smoking conditions and the levels of noxious agent were found to be higher than in currently marketed western cigarettes. However, these levels in all the indigenous products including bidis cannot be directly compared with those of cigarettes as they were smoked under modified conditions.

Total particulate matter and nicotine in Indian bidis and cigarettes: a comparative study of standard machine estimates and exposure levels in smokers in Bombay.

Standard emission levels of total particulate matter (TPM) and nicotine in bidi and cigarette smoke were compared with exposure levels based on smoking behaviour of smokers in Bombay. Bombay cigarette smokers are getting much higher amount of carcinogenic dry TPM (28 to 79%) and nicotine (31 to 104%), compared to standard machine estimates. In the case of regular bidi (60 mm) harmful ingredients like dry TPM decreased from 11 to 15 percent and nicotine increased from 11 to 22 percent, whereas long bidi (80 mm) delivered higher amount of dry TPM (14 to 22%) and nicotine (33 to 37%) in smokers in Bombay compared to standard machine estimates.

Carcinogenic tobacco-specific nitrosamines in Indian tobacco products.

Various Indian tobacco products--cigarette, bidi, chutta and their smoke, chewing tobacco and snuff (used for inhalation as well as a dentifrice) were analysed for their content of tobacco-specific nitrosamines (N'-nitrosonornicotine, 4-(N-nitrosomethylamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone and N'-nitrosoanatabine) by means of a gas chromatograph interfaced with a thermal energy analyser. These tobacco-specific nitrosamines were detected at microgram/g levels in all products investigated and in ng quantities in tobacco smoke. The highest concentrations were in chutta tobacco and snuff used for inhalation. The use of these Indian tobacco products may lead to high exposure to the potentially carcinogenic tobacco-specific nitrosamines.

Carcinogenicity of Indian bidi and cigarette smoke condensate in Swiss albino mice.

The carcinogenicity of Indian bidi and cigarette smoke condensate given by gavage was studied in Swiss mice. Bidi smoke condensate induced liver haemangiomas in four animals, forestomach papilloma in one animal and carcinomas in two animals, in one of them was in the oesophagus and in the other in the forestomach. At the same dose level cigarette smoke condensate failed to produce any tumour. Similarly, none of the untreated and solvent-treated control mice developed tumour. Chemical analysis of the smoke concensate of bidis and cigarettes showed that condensate from bidis had a higher benzo[a]pyrene level than was observed in cigarette smoke condensate, when compared on the basis of the mass (mg) burnt.

Mutagenicity of smoke condensate of bidi--an indigenous cigarette of India.

The possible mutagenicity of bidi smoke condensate (BSC), an indigenous form of an Indian cigarette has been studied using three short-term test systems. It was seen that BSC caused frame-shift mutations in Salmonella typhimurium strains TA 98 and TA 1538 and required metabolic activation. In the mammalian test systems, BSC induced 8 azaguanine resistant mutations in V79 Chinese hamster cells in the presence of S9 mixture and induced elevated frequencies of micronucleated erythrocytes in the bone marrow of Swiss mice.