Category: Harm Reduction

Glowing testimony
Photo by Krassy Can Do It
New research by scientists at British American Tobacco indicates that the company’s commercial tobacco heating product (THP), glo, has less of an impact on indoor air quality than does cigarette smoke.
The results of the research were presented on Saturday at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco in Florence, Italy, and were the subject of a press note.
THPs heated rather than burnt tobacco and so they had the potential to reduce the number and levels of toxicants in emissions from those produced by traditional combustible cigarettes, the note said. In addition, the enclosed design of THPs and their lower operating temperatures meant they did not produce emissions between puffs.
The scientists analysed the indoor air quality of an environmentally controlled room containing four study subjects using THPs at fixed intervals over four hours. Air from the room was sampled and analysed for known tobacco smoke markers, and the results were compared with those from a control room and a room containing the same four volunteers but smoking cigarettes.
The air was analysed for the nine types of harmful components that the World Health Organization recommends should be reduced, the press note said. Of these, in the room in which the THPs were used, seven toxicants were either not detected at all or were present at the same levels as in the control room, where nobody used any product at all.
The remaining two toxicants (formaldehyde and acetaldehyde) were found to be present at significantly reduced levels compared to the room in which cigarettes were smoked.
Fewer traces of nicotine were detected in the THP room, compared to the amounts found in the cigarette room. And the concentration of particles in the THP room was also reduced (and closer to that of the control room) compared to the concentration found in the cigarette room.
“These data show reduced toxicant emissions compared to cigarette smoke which indicates that glo has the potential to considerably reduce exposure to toxicants relative to cigarette smoke,” Dr Chuan Liu, head of discovery, THP science at BAT, was quoted as saying.
March 13, 2017
Acid test for e-liquids
The use of citric acid in e-liquids needs to be investigated further to understand its potential to form potentially harmful anhydrides in electronic-cigarette vapor, according to a presentation given by British American Tobacco Scientists on Friday at the annual conference of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco in Florence, Italy.
‘Citric acid occurs naturally in the body, is “generally recognised as safe” in the USA, and is used in pharmaceutical inhalation products,’ BAT said in a press note. ‘However, thermal degradation of citric acid can occur at the operating temperatures of some vaping devices. Starting at around 175-203° C, citric acid can degrade to form citraconic anhydride and its isomer itaconic anhydride.
‘These anhydrides are respiratory sensitizers—chemicals that, on inhalation, can trigger an allergic reaction varying from hay fever symptoms to anaphylactic shock.’
The scientists used gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry to analyse the vapor generated when an e-liquid containing citric acid is heated in a vaping device. The device used was a first-generation (cig-a-like) e-cigarette. The scientists were reported to have been able to measure significant amounts of anhydrides in the vapour.
“Citric acid in an e-liquid may lead to significant amounts of citraconic and/or itaconic anhydride in vapor, depending on the device,” said Dr. Sandra Costigan, principal toxicologist vaping products.
“But we believe that flavorings can be used responsibly and we have already rejected the use of some flavorings in our products. Based on this case study using a first-generation e-cigarette, we recommend that the potential for formation of citraconic and itaconic anhydrides should be investigated further before commercialisation of e-liquids containing citric acid.”
March 13, 2017
Heated or burnt?
Photo by srqpix
British American Tobacco has proposed a five-step approach to establishing whether tobacco is being combusted or heated in devices described as ‘tobacco-heating products’ (THPs).
THPs are designed to heat rather than burn tobacco; so whereas the burning zone in a cigarette can reach temperatures of between 600 and 950 degrees C, in THPs the temperature is said to be hundreds of degrees lower. The THP temperature is high enough to release nicotine and flavorings but not so high as to result in the decomposition of the tobacco and the creation of high temperature smoke toxicants thought to be involved in the development of the serious diseases associated with smoking, BAT said in a press note issued to coincide with a presentation the company is making today at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco in Florence, Italy.
‘These products therefore produce fewer toxicants and have the potential to be significantly reduced risk compared to conventional cigarettes,’ BAT said.
‘Although various THPs are commercially available, they differ in the way they heat tobacco and in their temperature characteristics. Currently, there is no standard way of assessing whether a product is mainly heating rather than burning tobacco. So scientists at British American Tobacco have developed a five-step approach to comprehensively assess this aspect of a THP.’
Dr Chuan Liu, head of THP science at BAT, was quoted as saying that to ensure a THP product was producing an aerosol by heating and not burning tobacco, it was important to characterise its thermos-physical performance as fully as possible. “Our five-step approach provides a comprehensive yet practical assessment irrespective of the heating mechanism in the device.”
The method was given as:
Step 1: Measure changes in the physical and chemical properties of the tobacco (the type normally used in the device) as it is heated to THP operating temperatures.
Step 2: Using a thermocouple inserted into the tobacco, measure the maximum temperature the tobacco is heated to, and how long it is heated for when the THP is used.
Step 3: Analyse the levels of the following combustion products: CO, CO2, NO and NOx produced by the device when heating tobacco. (These are key markers for tobacco that is heated to high temperatures or burnt).
Step 4: Quantify emissions of a range of other known cigarette smoke toxicants potentially produced by the device.
Step 5: Examine the physical integrity of the tobacco rod after it has been heated in the device, to assess the extent of any degradation from heating to high temperatures or burning.
March 10, 2017
Call for e-cigs subsidy
Photo by jonnwilliams
The Maori public health organization Hapai Te Hauora believes subsidising electronic cigarettes is a way to help many Maori break their addiction to tobacco, according to a story in the Waatea News.
Tobacco control advocacy service manager Zoe Hawke said she was seeing many Maori who were interested in vaping but couldn’t afford the high entry price.
She hopes a Ministry of Health review of electronic cigarettes and vaping will lead to the lifting of restrictions on nicotine-containing liquids, which at present must be bought from overseas via the internet because it can’t be sold in New Zealand.
But that will still leave consumers with a big up-front cost.
“We just need to support people to get the initial tools, to get the e-cigs, and then they will save money, especially when you look at the taxes on tobacco,” said Hawke.
Patches and gum were already subsidised, so it was no great leap to subsidise electronic cigarettes as part of cessation programs, she added.
March 10, 2017
Battery workshop scheduled
Photo by AndyArmstrong
Registration for a US workshop examining safety concerns surrounding electronic-cigarette batteries is due to end on March 17.
In a press note, the Food and Drug Administration said that its Center for Tobacco Products was due to host a science-based public workshop to gather information and stimulate discussion on batteries used in electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), including electronic cigarettes.
‘In particular, CTP seeks to gather information about battery safety concerns (e.g., overheating, fire, explosion, other modes of failure), risk mitigation, and design parameters related to ENDS,’ the note said.
‘Additionally, information related to the communication from tobacco product manufacturers or importers to distributors, wholesalers, retailers, consumers, and the general public on battery-related safety concerns with the use of ENDS products will also be collected.’
The workshop is due to be held on April 19-20.
Registration by electronic or written request should be made no later than March 17.
Further details are available at:
https://www.fda.gov/tobaccoproducts/newsevents/ucm535185.htm?source=govdelivery&utm_campaign=ctp-endsbatteries&utm_content=20170309-image&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery.
March 10, 2017
Vapor industry seeks support
Photo by Broo_am (Andy B)
Four US vapor-industry organizations have written to the speaker of the House of Representatives, Paul Ryan, and the House minority leader, Nancy Pelosi, urging them to support a bill that would take the sting out of the Food and Drug Administration’s deeming regulations in respect of electronic cigarettes.
The letter writers believe that the FDA Deeming Authority Clarification Act of 2017, which was introduced by Representatives Tom Cole and Sanford Bishop, would lift the ‘industry-ending’ effect of the retroactive predicate date in the FDA’s regulations.
At the same time, it would institute regulations that better fitted the unique nature of vapor products. Without it, only major tobacco companies would have a chance to survive beyond 2018.
Ensuring this ground-breaking technology continued to be available as a healthier alternative for adult US smokers was key in the mission ultimately to eliminate cigarette smoking and smoking-related disease.
The writers said the FDA’s plan to regulate vapor products out of existence was misguided.
‘There is a large and rapidly growing body of scientific evidence that supports the premise that vapor products are the most important tobacco harm reduction opportunity of the last decade,’ they wrote. ‘The most recent study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, conducted and authored by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), University College London and King’s College, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, found that consuming e-cigarettes exposes vapers to dramatically lower levels of toxins than smoking conventional cigarettes. Moreover, the difference between smokers’ and vapers’ exposure is actually similar to the difference between smokers and non-smokers, as found by the same CDC scientist in a 2012 study. Additionally, the Royal College of Physicians released a comprehensive scientific review that concluded that vapor products are at least 95 percent less harmful than combusted cigarettes. In the UK, Public Health England published a report recommending these products as a harm-reducing alternative for smokers.’
The writers said the proposed bill would allow an entire vapor products industry to remain afloat, saving tens of thousands of US jobs while providing unprecedented regulation of vapor products appropriate for this innovative technology.
‘Unlike the FDA’s regulations issued in 2016, the Cole-Bishop bill addresses the issues of product safety and enhances youth protections,’ the letter said. ‘Additionally, the legislation provides the strictest industry standards while also preserving access to vapor products for the millions of adult Americans who now use them every day instead of smoking.
‘Specifically, the FDA Deeming Authority Clarification Act of 2017 would:
- Amend the current law’s highly-problematic retroactive predicate date from February 15, 2007 to the effective date of the final deeming regulations, allowing products that meet all regulatory requirements to remain on the market and keeping thousands of small businesses, and their tens of thousands of employees, afloat.
- Protect consumers by preserving access to the diverse vapor marketplace, as opposed to the current law and FDA’s deeming regulations that threaten to force millions of adult consumers back to smoking or into the black market.
- Set higher standards for product safety by requiring the FDA to implement rulemaking on product standards for batteries used in the devices within 12 months.
- Protect teens by severely restricting marketing and youth access to vapor products.’
The writers said that if the FDA’s deeming regulations were allowed to stand, small- and mid-sized vapor retailers and manufacturers across the US would close their doors, leaving consumers – who were battling every day to quit smoking – without access to these life-changing and possibly lifesaving alternatives to combustible cigarettes.
‘Although it does not purport to solve every issue with the FDA’s deeming regulations, the FDA Deeming Authority Clarification Act of 2017 is a significant first step toward correcting the FDA’s misguided approach to regulation of the vapor industry,’ they wrote.
The writers are, in alphabetical order, Tony Abboud, executive director of Vapor Technology Association; Alex Clark, executive director Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternatives Association; Gregory Conley, president American Vaping Association; and Pamela Gorman, executive director Smoke Free Alternatives Trade Association.
March 9, 2017
E-cig tax plea in UK
Photo by erikaow
With National No Smoking Day coinciding with Budget day in the UK, the Chancellor is being urged to recognise the role of vaping in ‘improving public health and saving billions of pounds for the NHS [National Health Service]’.
A press note from the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) said that it was known that in delivering his budget today, the Chancellor would be looking to impose a rise in tobacco excise.
But it was vital that he ignored calls from the EU to treat vaping products in the same way. Evidence from other European Countries demonstrated that imposing excise duties on vaping products put at risk a ‘potentially seismic public health opportunity that is already saving the NHS billions’.
‘The public have displayed a huge vote of confidence in vaping; figures show that over 2.8 million people have now embraced vaping, the press note said. ‘Public Health England is clear that vaping is at least 95 percent less harmful than smoking, and this view is now being endorsed by the wider UK public health community. It is self-evident that adopting a harm reduction approach, the promotion of safer alternatives to those who would otherwise smoke, can bring enormous public health benefits.
‘Smoking levels are being drastically reduced by the availability of hugely popular vaping alternatives. The NHS values each person who quits smoking as saving £74,000; even simple arithmetic shows that the smokers who have switched to vaping, and no longer smoke, already represent a saving of more than £96bn.
‘It would make no sense for the Chancellor to ignore these benefits and elect instead to follow the example of European Commission; the architects of the ill designed vaping regulations who to date have ignored the UK’s harm-reduction approach and are instead seemingly prioritising excise measures on vaping products.’
Mark Pawsey MP, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on e-cigarettes, was quoted as saying that the group had taken evidence from many representatives of the public health and research community, as well as from vapers and the vaping industry itself.
“What is clear is that the key driver in the popularity of e-cigarettes is the desire from smokers to switch to a much less harmful alternative,” he said. “The UK is a leader in harm-reduction policy, and it is important that we continue to be. I am sure the Chancellor will be led by the evidence, and the evidence suggests that punitive taxation on vaping products discourages their uptake. Given the cost savings they potentially represent to the health service; punitive measures would surely be a backward step.”
Meanwhile, UKVIA’s Charles Hamshaw-Thomas, said that the almost half of Britain’s 2.8m vapers who no longer smoke already represented a saving of £96 billion.
“With there still being approximately nine million smokers in the UK just imagine the savings if we get more of them to switch,” he said.
“They say Mr Hammond [the Chancellor] has an eye for detail, so surely he can see how those numbers stack up, particularly while occupying the national platform he has on No Smoking Day.”
March 8, 2017
PMI patently trying
Photo by hospi-table
Philip Morris International has been ranked 63rd on the European Patent Office’s (EPO) list of the top 100 patent applications for 2016.
In a note published on its website, PMI said that the list, which was published yesterday as part of the EPO’s Annual Report, did not include any other tobacco companies.
‘PMI is committed to a smoke-free future, where non-combustible alternatives replace cigarettes to the benefit of smokers, public health and society at large,’ the note said.
‘PMI’s patent portfolio includes over 1,800 patents granted and almost 4,000 pending applications published for intellectual property generated during the development of our smoke-free products. They include a wide range of innovations, such as technologies to precisely heat tobacco instead of burning it, new ways to heat liquids in e-cigarettes and manufacturing processes.’
Michele Cattoni, PMI’s vice president of technology and operations for smoke-free products was quoted as saying that developments in technology and science were key to PMI’s commitment to provide all adult smokers with a range of better alternatives to cigarettes. “Our scientists are inventing new ways to deliver a satisfying experience to smokers without burning tobacco,” he said. “Our patents are tangible evidence of our progress towards a smoke-free future, where cigarettes will be replaced by non-combustible products.”
PMI said that, since 2008, it had hired more than 400 scientists and experts and invested more than US$3 billion in research, product development and scientific substantiation for smoke-free products. It openly shared its scientific methodologies and findings for independent third-party review and verification, which was available on PMIScience.com. All research to date on its most advanced smoke-free product, IQOS, clearly indicated that it was likely to present less risk of harm than continued smoking. Over 1.4 million smokers had already fully switched to it.
March 8, 2017
New research hits a nerve
Photo by madaise
Danish researchers have discovered that the children of mothers who smoked during pregnancy have fewer optic nerves than do the offspring of mothers who didn’t smoke, according to a story in The Copenhagen Post.
The study, carried out by the Rigshospitalet city hospital in collaboration with the University of Copenhagen and Zealand University Hospital, found that mothers of children who smoked during pregnancy had optic nerves that were five percent thinner.
It wasn’t clear from the story whether the issue was about the number of optic nerves or their thickness, but it was certainly seen as important.
“A five percent difference doesn’t sound like a lot for the vision of a 12-year old child,” Inger Christine Munch, a researcher at Zealand University Hospital and senior author of the findings,” was quoted by TV2 News as saying.
“But we lose nerve fibers throughout our lives, and at some point that will lead to holes in the field of view. At that point it would be nice to have had some more optic nerves to draw from.”
The researchers followed 1,323 Danish children born in 2000 and they intend to continue to monitor these young people to see what other consequences smoking during pregnancy might have on vision.
The results could be used also to launch new studies aimed at looking into whether other parts of the central nervous system of fetuses are impacted by mothers smoking while pregnant.
The latest research was recently published in the scientific journal JAMA Ophthalmology.
March 8, 2017
E-cigs represent a ‘win’
Photo by Risager
A New Zealand doctor believes that shifting smokers onto electronic cigarettes represents a “win”, according to a story on TVNZ.
The doctor said that electronic cigarettes were going to be “absolutely fantastic”.
The report described electronic cigarettes as a product that was becoming increasingly popular among smokers.
But it claimed that new research had suggested that while vaping these products might be better than smoking traditional cigarettes, they came with their own set of problems.
But on TVNZ’s Breakfast program, Doctor John Cameron was upbeat.
“If we can get everyone who’s smoking tobacco related products and put them onto e-cigarettes, I think we have got a win,” he said.
It was known that the best thing to put in your lungs was fresh air, no question about it, he added.
And the worst thing you could put into your lungs was the smoke from burnt tobacco leaves.
Vaping sat somewhere in the middle.
There was nothing wrong with nicotine as a drug, it was the delivery system that mattered.
Talking about the down-sides of electronic cigarettes, Cameron said there was a risk people might turn to vaping who had never picked up a cigarette and smoked before.
“You are developing a behaviour which is inhaling a substance that may or may not do some damage to your lungs, it’s probably minuscule but are we going to say it is a good thing to do? So that is where the conundrum currently lies.”
March 7, 2017