Analysis of Nicotine, Tar, CO, TPM, Moisture, BAP, and Humectants in Cigarettes and Beedis from India and Myanmar

Approximately 2.3 million annual deaths in the eleven countries of the WHO Southeast Asia Region (SEAR) are linked to tobacco smoking. In 2020, smoking was responsible for 1.6 million lives lost in SEAR. The toxic substances found in the emissions of smoked tobacco products are inadequately researched. This study aims to evaluate and compare the smoke delivery potential of nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide, humectants, tobacco particulate matter (TPM), benzo[a]pyrene, and moisture between traditional beedis and commercial cigarettes. For quantifying emission ingredients from both beedis and cigarettes, globally accepted procedures from TobLabNet, the CDC, and CORESTA were utilized. When comparing Indian and Myanmar cigarettes, we discovered that nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in Myanmar cigarettes were slightly higher than those in Indian cigarettes, though the difference was statistically insignificant. Moisture, tar, and TPM also exhibited statistically insignificant variations. The mean benzo[a]pyrene levels in Indian and Myanmar products were 8.24 ± 0.28 and 12.17 ± 2.24, respectively, with a statistically significant difference (≤ 0.008). Among humectants, only propylene glycol showed significant variation (p ≤ 0.023). The comparison between Indian cigarettes and beedis revealed statistically significant differences in nicotine (p ≤ 0.041), moisture (p ≤ 0.001), TPM (p ≤ 0.001), propylene glycol (p ≤ 0.002), and glycerol (p ≤ 0.001). The mean benzo[a]pyrene for cigarettes was 8.24 ± 0.28, while for beedis, it was 10.22 ± 1.07, demonstrating a statistically significant difference (p ≤ 0.008), along with glycerol (p ≤ 0.009) among humectants. When comparing beedis to cigarettes from both countries, we found significant differences in nicotine (p ≤ 0.041), moisture (p ≤ 0.001), TPM (p ≤ 0.001), propylene glycol (p ≤ 0.002), and glycerol (p ≤ 0.001). Flavors were not detected in the mainstream smoke of the cigarettes and beedis analyzed for this study. The findings of this study can be leveraged to enhance public health by identifying harmful chemicals that exceed established limits and potentially motivating manufacturers to produce less harmful products by conforming to toxin emission standards.