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.
Pakhale
S S
SS
Carcinogenesis Division, Cancer Research Institute, Tata Memorial Centre, Parel, Mumbai, India.
Maru
G B
GB
D000470:Alkaloids / Q000032:analysis*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007194:India; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D009538:Nicotine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000032:analysis; D010947:Plants, Toxic; D012906:Smoke / Q000032:analysis*; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000737:chemistry*
D000470:Alkaloids; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D012906:Smoke; D009538:Nicotine