Hazardous Compounds in Tobacco Smoke

Reinskje Talhout, Thomas Schulz, Ewa Florek, Jan Van Benthem, Piet Wester and Antoon Opperhuizen
Additional contact information
Reinskje Talhout: Laboratory for Health Protection Research, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), P.O. Box 1, 3720 BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands
Thomas Schulz: Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung, Thielallee 88-92, 14195 Berlin, Germany
Ewa Florek: Laboratory of Environmental Research, Department of Toxicology, University of Medical Sciences, Dojazd 30, 60-631 Poznan, Poland
Jan Van Benthem: Laboratory for Health Protection Research, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), P.O. Box 1, 3720 BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands
Piet Wester: Laboratory for Health Protection Research, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), P.O. Box 1, 3720 BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands
Antoon Opperhuizen: Laboratory for Health Protection Research, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), P.O. Box 1, 3720 BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands

IJERPH, 2011, vol. 8, issue 2, 1-16

Abstract: Tobacco smoke is a toxic and carcinogenic mixture of more than 5,000 chemicals. The present article provides a list of 98 hazardous smoke components, based on an extensive literature search for known smoke components and their human health inhalation risks. An electronic database of smoke components containing more than 2,200 entries was generated. Emission levels in mainstream smoke have been found for 542 of the components and a human inhalation risk value for 98 components. As components with potential carcinogenic, cardiovascular and respiratory effects have been included, the three major smoke-related causes of death are all covered by the list. Given that the currently used Hoffmann list of hazardous smoke components is based on data from the 1990s and only includes carcinogens, it is recommended that the current list of 98 hazardous components is used for regulatory purposes instead. To enable risk assessment of components not covered by this list, thresholds of toxicological concern (TTC) have been established from the inhalation risk values found: 0.0018 µg day −1 for all risks, and 1.2 µg day −1 for all risks excluding carcinogenicity, the latter being similar to previously reported inhalation TTCs.

Keywords: smoke component; risk assessment; tobacco product regulation; Hoffmann list; TTC (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (21)

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