The tobacco industry
is made up of many companies that make and sell different types of tobacco
products. Whether it is smoked, chewed, sniffed or inhaled second-hand, the use
of these tobacco products can and does cause debilitating and life-threatening
diseases, as well as premature death. The cigarette is the single most commonly
used tobacco product in the European Union (EU). Most people are aware that
smoking cigarettes is harmful, as thousands of compounds are produced and
released in the smoke, some of which (hundreds) are toxic. But what people may
not be aware of is that most tobacco manufacturers add ingredients other than
tobacco to cigarettes that affect the chemical make-up of the smoke. These
ingredients are known as tobacco additives and are reportedly used, for example,
to:
- Give a cigarette a particular flavour
- Control the way the
cigarette burns
- Keep the tobacco moist thus preventing it from drying
out
To some people, the
reasons for adding these substances to a consumer product may appear perfectly
reasonable. They may argue that this is not necessarily a bad thing as it makes
for a better consumer experience. However, helping people to better tolerate and
enjoy a product like cigarettes, which is well known to be toxic and
carcinogenic, is an entirely different issue and a matter of great concern.
Additives can make
cigarettes more attractive by disguising some of the undesirable effects of
inhaling burnt tobacco. For example, they:
- Mask the bitter taste and
harsh smell of the smoke that is inhaled
- Make the inhaled smoke milder,
reducing the irritation of the airways (which essentially silences any warning
that the smoke is dangerous)
- Turn the ash and smoke white
- Improve
the appearance of cigarettes
Ultimately, by using
additives, tobacco manufacturers encourage cigarette use in people who may
otherwise be deterred from smoking due to the unfavourable characteristics of
raw tobacco. The more pleasant the cigarette, the easier it is for a smoker to
sustain their habit, and therefore the more likely it is that they could become
addicted.
Studies have also
shown that burning tobacco additives can result in the formation of harmful
compounds. However, it is very difficult to consider the effects of a single
additive in isolation due to the overall combined effect of all the chemicals
present in the tobacco smoke. Moreover, the burnt derivatives of some additives
are also known to indirectly boost the effects of nicotine on the brain
(nicotine being the main reason why people become addicted to smoking).
Despite this, the
tobacco industry is allowed to use additives and continues to do so, on the
basis that they have been considered safe for use in food or cosmetics by
relevant regulatory authorities. However, this is not a sufficiently scientific
basis upon which to justify their use in tobacco products. This is because
people do not generally consume/use these food and cosmetic products in a state
where the additives are burnt (from being exposed to very high temperatures) and
then inhaled. In food and cosmetic goods, consumers are exposed to these
additives in a completely different way to how they would be exposed to them
through smoking tobacco products. Therefore, these additives should not be
considered to have comparable effects on the body when consumed in this way.
Furthermore, the fact that these additives can make tobacco products more
attractive and increase their use is particularly concerning given the toxic and
addictive nature of tobacco products.
Tobacco
manufacturers also market ‘natural’ or ‘clean’ cigarettes that reportedly have
no chemicals or additives. However, potential consumers of these cigarettes are
reminded that there is no such thing as a safe cigarette, because the smoke that
is produced still contains carcinogens and other toxic compounds that come from
the tobacco itself.
Take home
message:
Tobacco
manufacturers make cigarettes more attractive, which encourages their use, and
makes it easier for anyone smoking to become addicted.
Further details on
additives is described below.
Click on the following link for
further information on:
This text of the introduction to
the factsheets on tobacco additives were written by the Dutch National Institute
for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and the German Cancer Research
Centre (DKFZ). You can find the original in English on the RIVM website www.tabakinfo.nl and on the DKFZ website http://www.dkfz.de/de/tabakkontrolle
This initiative has received
funding from the European Union in the framework of the Health Programme.
Disclaimer