Composition of popular tobacco products in Thailand, and its relevance to disease prevention.
BACKGROUND
This report presents new findings on the composition of the three best-selling brands of commercially produced Thai cigarettes, representing about 80% of market share in Thailand, and six best-selling tobacco products, including hand-rolled cigarettes and cigars.


RESULTS
With one exception, all Thai cigarettes yielded higher levels of tar and nicotine than U.S. brands sold in Thailand. High levels of tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide (CO) were found in the smoke of popular Thai cigars (Khiyo) and Burmese cigars sold in Thailand. All tobacco products tested were ranked in order of smoke yields of tar (cigarettes, 4.5 to 40.8 mg/cigarette), nicotine (0.19 to 5.77 mg/cigarette), and CO (3.1 to 9.5 mg/cigarette). The labels "very strong," "strong," and "mild," used in rating the tobacco quality by the growers in Thailand, were not found to reflect the relative nicotine and tar yields. From 1985-1990, per capita consumption of cigarettes in Thailand increased 1.4-fold.


CONCLUSIONS
This report provides information that may prove helpful in the evaluation of the tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide yields of cigarettes and cigars in Thailand compared with levels in U.S. cigarettes. It is our goal to offer the scientific basis for voluntary and/or regulated reduction of the smoke yields of tobacco products in Thailand.
Mitacek
E J
EJ
Life Sciences Division, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury 11568.
Brunnemann
K D
KD
Polednak
A P
AP
Hoffmann
D
D
Suttajit
M
M
D000329:Advertising; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000032:analysis*; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D003033:Coal Tar / Q000032:analysis*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005374:Filtration; D006801:Humans; D009538:Nicotine / Q000032:analysis*; D010947:Plants, Toxic; D013785:Thailand; D014026:Nicotiana
D009538:Nicotine; D002248:Carbon Monoxide; D003033:Coal Tar