The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #59981

Suzaynn F. Schick, PhD, Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California, San Francisco, 530 Parnassus, Ste 366, San Francisco, CA 94143-1390, 415-502-4882, zaynn@itsa.ucsf.edu and Stanton A Glantz, PhD, University of California, San Francisco, Center for Tobacco Control Research & Education, 530 Parnassus Ave., Suite 366, San Francisco, CA 94143-1390.

Methods: The tobacco documents and the open scientific literature were searched using terms including “sidestream”, “tobacco smoke pollution”, and “biological activity”.

Results: Beginning in the 1970’s, in response to mounting evidence that secondhand smoke was a social disadvantage for smokers, the tobacco industry engaged in a series of research and development projects to produce a more socially acceptable cigarette. This research led to pioneering developments in the chemical analysis of secondhand smoke, testing of human response to secondhand smoke and the biological testing of toxicity and carcinogenesis. Because they had more resources and greater knowledge of the overall physics and chemistry of the burning cigarette, tobacco industry scientists were often able to approach these questions with more depth and sophistication than many academic researchers. The process of developing tests of the chemical content of secondhand smoke reveals how the test conditions can be manipulated to affect the outcome. Their work on sensory assessment of secondhand smoke offers new information about the factors affecting passive smokers’ responses to secondhand smoke. Their studies of the toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic properties of secondhand smoke in the early 1980’s demonstrate that secondhand smoke is more toxic than mainstream smoke by weight and that the high toxicity and mutagenicity results from the synergistic interaction of multiple components.

Conclusion: Understanding the scientific and product design processes used by the tobacco industry can help public health researchers and advocates deal more effectively with the problem of passive smoking.

Learning Objectives:

• “By participating in this session, the participant will:
• 1. Discover how secondhand smoke hurts people and why it is more toxic than mainstream smoke.”
• 2. Learn how tobacco industry scientists assessed the biological effects of secondhand smoke.”
• 3. Learn about the chemistry and physics of cigarettes and secondhand smoke.”
• 4. Understand how the tobacco companies responded to public knowledge about the dangers of secondhand smoke.”

Keywords: Tobacco Industry, Chemical Analyses

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.