Study: U.S. Cigarettes Have More Cancer Agents

(CBS)  U.S. cigarette brands expose smokers to higher levels of cancer-causing agents than brands from three other countries, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found in a new study.

The study found that, for the first time, the major carcinogens and cancer-causing agents in tobacco products, which researchers call tobacco-specific nitrosamines, were found in higher levels in U.S. cigarettes than in cigarettes from Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.

"We know that cigarettes from around the world vary in their ingredients and the way they are produced," Dr. Jim Pirkle, deputy director for science at the CDC's National Center for Environmental Health, Division of Laboratory Sciences, said in a statement. "All of these cigarettes contain harmful levels of carcinogens, but these findings show that amounts of tobacco-specific nitrosamines differ from country to country, and U.S. brands are the highest in the study."

Researchers studied 126 daily smokers from the four countries. The CDC doesn't specify which U.S. brand was used, only identifying it as an "American blend" that represented popular brands.

The scientists observed the smokers over a 24-hour period, measuring the level of nitrosamines in the cigarette butts to determine how much entered the smokers' bodies through their mouths. The level of nitrosamines was also measured in the study subjects' urine.

The study's results were published in the June issue of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention.

[izoftexas]

(continued)

Are the products safer? Science shows that other smokeless products from Sweden that have orders of magnitude (x 50 or more) more TSNA cause no detectable rise in cancers above non-users, so the answer is an inarguable YES! In fact, the smokeless products Ariva and Stonewall are the safest tobacco products on the planet, and they are virtually safe (gum problems for some from heavy use in some cases, the only real negative ... but HEAVY use).

Here is one of several independent studies specifically on "new" lower TSNA smokeless and smoked tobacco products (does not include Star's cigarette "Advance", which B&W had killed when it went with RJR). "This study was supported by National Institutes of Health grants CA-81301 and DA-13333." Note that only "tobacco free 'snuff' "and pharma nicotine were lower in TSNA, and that the Star products are 30 times lower in them than the next highest tobacco product ("Revel").

http://www.e-cig.org/pdfs/TSNA-Study-in-Smokeless-Tobacco-Products.pdf

Will any other tobacco company come out with products with TSNA this low? Not until "tobacco" does something about Star's patents (and they are fighting tooth and nail to try!), because right now as it stands, if anyone cures tobacco with TSNAs lower than about 0.1 parts per million, they are presumed to infringe on Star's tobacco curing patents

If you want to read an article that details some of what had gone on in the effort to kill Star's patents (via an infringement suit Star has against RJR ... ongoing) up until May 2009, you can read this article.

http://www.heralddeparis.com/largest-us-patent-infringement-case-ever-is-controversial-too/35605

Star did lose the jury trial in 6/2009, again under "suspicious" court conduct in the district court, according to Star's new appeal [they won the first appeal, as you will read]).

There are so many details, over the last 15 years, this is not even a scratch on the surface. Just ask yourself why you have never heard of ANY of this from CBS News ... or anyone else. Consider, then, asking CBS News.

[izoftexas]

I am going to once again reveal facts about this matter that should shock everyone, as I always do when this comes up. Here are FACTS you will, apparently never hear from "CBS News", nor apparently from anyone else.

A U.S. inventor named Jonnie Williams, cofounder of the company Star Scientific, discovered how to virtually eliminate TSNAs from both smoked and smokeless tobacco ... IN 1998.

He patented the method and asked royalties of only three cents a pack of cigarettes for big tobacco to use the technology. In 2001 the company introduced smokeless tobacco products, called Ariva and Stonewall, to give users of cigarettes (Ariva) and high TSNA snuff (U.S. brands are among the very highest in the world) alternatives to use that contain almost no TSNA at all.

Star also introduced a cigarette (Advance) that contained 70% (!) less TSNA than the average U.S. cigarette (as a "beginning", still using "the American blend" with some TSNA-laden burley tobacco) at that time.

What have "tobacco", the health authorities, nicotine-producing pharma, and the anti-smoking forces done since then ... in the NINE YEARS since then? Has "tobacco" adopted this life saving (as in likely 1000s of lives a year) technology? Have the health authorities urged "tobacco" and the tobacco-consuming public to use the technology to advantage to save lives? Has nicotine pharma welcomed this addition to the quit-smoking arena? Have the anti-smoking crowd welcomed this alternative that is both safe for the user and produces NO hazard (al la second hand smoke) and bother to non-smokers?

No. What have THEY ALL done instead? They have all colluded, not necessarily "cooperating" with each other, but the effect is the same, to drive this company out of business.

"Tobacco" does not want to make safer cigarettes, it turns out ... because that would mean the public would be thoroughly informed that there has been something wrong with their other cigarettes all along (!)

"Health authorities" do not want safer cigarettes, nor any safe tobacco products, because it would force them to alter their stance on tobacco use.

Pharma? Well, of course they don't want any "quit smoking" competition, certainly not in the form of a tobacco product.

The anti-smoking crowd is also anti-tobacco. They don't want any safe, or safer, tobacco products because it would cause them to alter their anti-tobacco stance.

I have been writing at length to every agency, scientist, and news outlet I can for 10 years on this. I usually write a lengthy explanation. I have found it does no good. No one listens.

If you're interested, here are a few references in which you may read something about this.

First, here is a story written all the way back in 2001, when the technology was new ("patent pending"), and already the author could see "the writing on the wall". Star had just

How to Build a Better Cigarette?and How to Snuff It Out
Jonathan Rauch | January 13, 2001

http://reason.com/archives/2001/01/13/how-to-build-a-better-cigarett/

Here is the announcement of the formal approval of the one of the patents for this process in march 2001.

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Star+Scientific,+Inc.+Announces+New+Patent+for+Curing+Tobacco+To...-a071941643

Here is a petition to the FDA in December 2001 asking FDA to regulate these "safer" products ... meaning to STOP them from being made (because at that time FDA regulation would have meant preventing them from being made and sold as "safer"). Of interest here is the first page ... see some of the many who don't want safer tobacco products.

http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/reports/newproducts/petition2.pdf


Here is a statement by Star when Philip Morris tried to sue to have the patents invalidated (rather than adopt them to make safer products) in 2002.

http://hardsnuff.com/www/stsi101005a/Components/ReleaseContainer/release070102.html

Note that, at the time, ONE tobacco company, B&W, was actually "trying out" the technology to make safer products. The next year they QUIT and abandoned Star as soon as the FDA said (in 2003) it would not (then) regulate tobacco and permit advertising "safer" products ... because B&W then saw no advantage to safer products because they could not advertise them (under non-FDA tobacco regulation). So what did they do? They merged with RJ Reynolds to try to help "big tobacco" drive Star out of business.

(continued)

[kmb19651]

This is just another reason I'm glad I switched to e-cigarettes. It took me a couple of trys, but I finally found blu ecigs and they are great. Definitely more convenient and cheaper than traditional tobacco cigs.

[elizabeth3166]

US cigarettes are more addictive with nicotine
By the way I found a website that give you prizes for your opinions here is the topic about this:
http://opinion.ezwingame.com/topics/are-usa-made-cigarettes-more-cancerous-than-others

[mghuber]

I smoke an electronic cigarette and since I began I feel way better. It doesn't have the tar, the carbon monoxide that drains your energy or the carcinogens that can cause cancer. To me, it's an obvious choice. I bought mine at www.mistycig.com although there are many types to choose from. I love mine, smoking tobacco is over for me. Cheers!

[rf35]

After I switched to electronic cigarettes my military PT test score was it's highest ever. I've convinced my father and a few of my coworkers to switch, too. There are a few good brands out there now and they are all cheaper than the real things even after the start-up costs (the hardware). It nice being able to smoke (steam?) at my desk when it's raining or cold outside and I really enjoy being able to puff away on planes, in restaurants, or wherever. It's a shame the FDA seems intent on banning them in the USA. Their tax cash cow can't handle the competition I guess.

[izoftexas]

Do you have any idea who makes what you're inhaling into your lungs, what it is (besides nicotine), what happens to the chemicals when they get vaporized, where the nicotine comes from, how it was obtained (what solvents or other chemicals remain), and who or what, if anything, regulates or is looking after what goes into this stuff. As far as I've been able to determine, most if not all of this stuff comes from, essentially, someones' (plural of someone's) garage in China. These are the folks whose factories (not "garage-shops") put plastic in pet food and baby's milk because it made the product LOOK LIKE it contained more protein. NO ONE, as far as I can tell, knows exactly what's in it, and certainly no one knows of any long term effects. As I detailed elsewhere in an answer, there are virtually safe smokeless alternatives made in the U.S. (google them), if you don't mind trying to do without inhaling something. Low TSNA smokeless is a known. E-cigs are a complete unknown. By the way, you can buy the low TSNA smokeless products online (google them) to try, BUT only until June 30 when the new law against mailing tobacco goes into effect. Most CVS (I think), Walgreens, and Rite Aid stores have one or the other, but you may have to ask to find them: as I explained, they're (Star's products) not big sellers right now because they can't be advertised. Swedish snus, Revel, and especially the Star products Ariva and Stonewall are the best alternatives. Try your best to get away from unknown hazards. Good luck, whatever.

[TLRO]

In the US - many cigarettes have little or no pure tobacco in them. The grind up and process the tobacco and reconstitute it into a sheet adding many chemicals in the process. Then they cut that up to stuff in the cigarette. There are very few brands (none of the big ones!) in the US that offer cigarettes made from real unprocessed tobacco. After unsuccessfully quitting for the unth time I switched to a brand that didn't process or use additives. While I still wish I was a non smoker, I have been breathing much easier since the switch almost ten years ago. No more mornings spent hacking up half a lung, "asthma" disappeared, less episodes of breathlessness. http://www.quitsmokingsupport.com/whatsinit.htm

I wish they would study the effects of cigarettes using real tobacco only but it's such a small part of the market share. I doubt it's healthy but nicotine does have some very desirable effects. It is being studies as a treatment in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and ulcerative colitis - never mind the instant bumo on mental clarity and anti-depressive effects.

I will concede though that smoking is not a good habit for anyone to get into.

[esmokehelp]

After reading what the CDC has found. Electronic cigarettes should gain favor among smokers. The findings while interesting, should not be a big surprise

[esmokehelp]

After reading what the CDC has found. Electronic cigarettes should gain favor among smokers. The findings while interesting, should not be a big surprise

[babooph]

No wonder they are among the most expensive in the world-& that Turkish tobacco-wow...