title: Tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in cigarettes smoked by the participants of the Shanghai Cohort Study.
abstract: Our recent studies on tobacco smoke carcinogen and toxicant biomarkers and cancer risk among male smokers in the Shanghai Cohort Study showed that exposure to tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNA) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) is prospectively associated with the risk of cancer. These findings support the hypothesis that the smokers' cancer risk is a function of the dose of select tobacco carcinogens and highlight the importance of understanding the factors that affect the intake of these carcinogens by smokers. Given that tobacco constituent exposures are driven, at least in part, by the levels of these constituents in cigarette smoke, we measured mainstream smoke TSNA and PAH levels in 43 Chinese cigarette brands that participants of the Shanghai Cohort Study reported to smoke. In all brands analyzed here, mainstream smoke levels of NNN and NNK, the two carcinogenic TSNA, were generally relatively low, averaging (±SD) 16.8(±25.1) and 14.2(±9.5) ng/cigarette, respectively. The levels of PAH were comparable to those found in U.S. cigarettes, averaging 15(±9) ng/cigarette for benzo[a]pyrene, 119(±66) ng/cigarette for phenanthrene and 37(±19) ng/cigarette for pyrene. Our findings indicate that the generally low levels of NNN and NNK are most likely responsible for the relatively low levels of the corresponding biomarkers in the urine of the Shanghai Cohort Study participants as compared to those found in the U.S. smokers, supporting the role of the levels of these constituents in cigarette smoke in smokers' exposures. Our findings also suggest that, in addition to smoking, other sources contribute to Chinese smokers' exposure to PAH.
authors.affiliation: Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
authors.forename: Katrina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yershova
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA.|Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.
authors.forename: Jian-Min
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA.
authors.forename: Renwei
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Liza
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Valentin
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Clifford
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Yu-Tang
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
authors.forename: Stephen S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Hecht
authors.affiliation: Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.|Division of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Stepanov
mesh_terms: D002273:Carcinogens / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D009602:Nitrosamines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014026:Nicotiana
chemical_list: D002273:Carcinogens; D009602:Nitrosamines; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
keywords: PAH; TSNA; nicotine; nitrate; nitrite; smoke; tobacco