title: Diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione exposures associated with cigarette smoking: implications for risk assessment of food and flavoring workers.
abstract: Diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione inhalation have been suggested as causes of severe respiratory disease, including bronchiolitis obliterans, in food/flavoring manufacturing workers. Both compounds are present in many food items, tobacco, and other consumer products, but estimates of exposures associated with the use of these goods are scant. A study was conducted to characterize exposures to diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione associated with cigarette smoking. The yields (μg/cigarette) of diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione in mainstream (MS) cigarette smoke were evaluated for six tobacco products under three smoking regimens (ISO, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and Health Canada Intense) using a standard smoking machine. Mean diacetyl concentrations in MS smoke ranged from 250 to 361 ppm for all tobacco products and smoking regimens, and mean cumulative exposures associated with 1 pack-year ranged from 1.1 to 1.9 ppm-years. Mean 2,3-pentanedione concentrations in MS smoke ranged from 32.2 to 50.1 ppm, and mean cumulative exposures associated with 1 pack-year ranged from 0.14 to 0.26 ppm-years. We found that diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione exposures from cigarette smoking far exceed occupational exposures for most food/flavoring workers who smoke. This suggests that previous claims of a significant exposure-response relationship between diacetyl inhalation and respiratory disease in food/flavoring workers were confounded, because none of the investigations considered or quantified the non-occupational diacetyl exposure from cigarette smoke, yet all of the cohorts evaluated had considerable smoking histories. Further, because smoking has not been shown to be a risk factor for bronchiolitis obliterans, our findings are inconsistent with claims that diacetyl and/or 2,3-pentanedione exposure are risk factors for this disease.
authors.affiliation: Cardno ChemRisk , Chicago, IL , USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Pierce
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abelmann
authors.forename: Lauren J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Spicer
authors.forename: Rebecca E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.forename: Brent L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Finley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001989:Bronchiolitis Obliterans / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D002170:Canada; D003931:Diacetyl / Q000633:toxicity*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005421:Flavoring Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D005525:Food-Processing Industry; D006801:Humans; D019570:Inhalation Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010422:Pentanones / Q000633:toxicity*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D005421:Flavoring Agents; D010422:Pentanones; D003931:Diacetyl; C013186:2,3-pentanedione