Contraband Cigarettes: Tobacco Smoke Analysis

Results

Table 1 compares the tobacco smoke of contraband and legal cigarettes (see the Appendix).

The same chemical substances are present in the smoke of both contraband and legal cigarettes. There was no notable difference in the quantity of most of these chemicals found in the smoke of either contraband or legal cigarettes.

Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 different chemicals that are formed when tobacco is burned. At least 70 of these chemicals are known to cause, trigger, or promote cancer. The minor differences in quantity seen for some of the chemicals would have relatively little impact on the risk of harmful health effects for those exposed to cigarette smoke.

Smoke composition depends on several factors, including growing conditions (fertilizer, water, lighting), the geographical environment where the tobacco was cultivated, type of tobacco, and the combination of different tobacco varieties. These factors account for any differences observed in smoke composition between contraband and legal cigarettes. The differences are mainly seen in the nitrosamines that are specific to tobacco (NNN, NAT, NNK), 1-aminonaphthalene, 2-aminonaphthalene, 3-aminobiphenyl, ammonia and isoprene. However, by way of comparison, the quantities of these chemicals in contraband cigarette smoke are similar to those found in the smoke of cigarettes sold in other countries.

Conclusion

The smoke composition of contraband and legal cigarettes is very similar. Health Canada considers that smoking contraband cigarettes poses the same risk of harmful health effects as smoking legal cigarettes sold in Canada.

References

1. Baker, R.R. Smoke Chemistry in Tobacco: Production, Chemistry and Technology, Davis, D.L., Nielsen, M.T., Eds., Blackwell Science: Malden, Massachusetts, 1999, pp. 398-439.
2. Green, C.R. Some Relationships between Tobacco Leaf and Smoke Composition. Proceedings of 173^rd American Chemical Society Symposium, 1977, pp. 426-470.
3. Health Canada, Tobacco Products Information Regulations, SOR/2000-272, P.C. 2000-1039, Ottawa, June 2000.
4. Health Canada, Tobacco Reporting Regulations, SOR/2000-273, P.C. 2000-1040, Ottawa, June 2000.
5. Leffingwell, J.C. Leaf chemistry: Basic chemical constituents and differences among tobacco types in Tobacco: Production, Chemistry and Technology, Davis, D.L., Nielsen, M.T., Eds. Blackwell Science: Malden, Massachusettes, 1999, pp. 272-281.
6. National Revenue, Stamping and Marking of Tobacco Products Regulations, SOR/2003-288, P.C. 2003-1202, Ottawa, August 2003.

Appendix