Article on cancer-causing PAH chemicals in Snus

[VBSnus]

http://www.newscientist.com/article/...-multiply.html

Now researchers have found that popular moist snuff products on sale in the US contain at least 22 PAHs, probably because the tobacco is exposed to wood smoke during its curing process.

Moist snuff, also called snus, is mostly used in North America and Scandinavia, but is banned from sale in all European Union countries except Sweden.

A typical dose of moist snuff has the same PAH content as five cigarettes, said Irina Stepanov of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis as she presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society on 16 August in Washington DC.

Moist snuff consumption, which doubled in the US between 1986 and 2005, has been linked with increased risks of mouth and pancreatic cancers. The PAHs add to 28 cancer-causing chemicals including nicotine and nitrosamines previously identified in the snuff.

Any bit of truth in this?

[lxskllr]

Now researchers have found that popular moist snuff products on sale in the US contain at least 22 PAHs, probably because the tobacco is exposed to wood smoke during its curing process.

I think this may be the telling quote. How much Swedish snus is sold in the USA, and could it really be described as popular? I'm betting that it's the American brands that were tested, and they threw the word snus in there since it's the latest thing in tobacco.

[snusjus]

Wood smoke is the key. When smokeless tobacco in the United States is fermented, the tobacco is hung over burning smoke from fire; this gives "dip" tobacco its signature flavor. Snus, on the other hand, is steam-pasteurized.

[sagedil]

Yeah, I was gonna say the same thing. Authors have no idea what Swedish snus is. Has nothing to do with what we use.


As for the truth of their claims beyond that, perhaps it is true. Same would be then said then for steak cooked on the grill.

EDIT.,,,,, and just reading more, they claim that nicotine casue cancer.

The PAHs add to 28 cancer-causing chemicals including nicotine and nitrosamines previously identified in the snuff.

FAIL, nicotine has never been shown to cause cancer.

[beja]

Key word here being "moist snuff products on sale in the US". You know they aren't looking at Swedish snus. That would blow their arguement to hell, so they'll conveniently avoid bringing that into their study.

[RobsanX]

Tobacco for Swedish snus is air dried, not fire dried like U.S. dip...

[PassedPawn]

Sound to me like the writers of that article based it on dip in pouches and confused it with Swedish snus figuring they were one and the same.

[MasterGuns]

Yeah, I was gonna say the same thing. Authors have no idea what Swedish snus is. Has nothing to do with what we use.


As for the truth of their claims beyond that, perhaps it is true. Same would be then said then for steak cooked on the grill.

EDIT.,,,,, and just reading more, they claim that nicotine casue cancer.

The PAHs add to 28 cancer-causing chemicals including nicotine and nitrosamines previously identified in the snuff.

FAIL, nicotine has never been shown to cause cancer.

AND shot-down in flames.
Besides, 28 may look like a big scary number, but the reality is you are just plain less likely to die from dipping, and FAR less likely to die from using snus. Of course anti-smoke smell campaigns have now shifted to anti-tobacco-juice-in-a-plastic bottle campaign. But since they don't want to believe that snus isn't dip, they go to the old fallback that it's "marketed to kids." So if it tastes good it's marketed to kids...
bahhh, I'm in no mood to rant.

[Tlaloc]

Yeah, I was gonna say the same thing. Authors have no idea what Swedish snus is. Has nothing to do with what we use.


As for the truth of their claims beyond that, perhaps it is true. Same would be then said then for steak cooked on the grill.

EDIT.,,,,, and just reading more, they claim that nicotine casue cancer.

The PAHs add to 28 cancer-causing chemicals including nicotine and nitrosamines previously identified in the snuff.

FAIL, nicotine has never been shown to cause cancer.

From what I have read, while nicotine is not a carcinogenic per say, it does interfere with your bodies ability to fight pre-existing cancer, and cancer created through other vectors.

Having said that... a scientific paper that claims nicotine is a carcinogen via axiom, without any supporting facts isn't exactly up to snuff.

[Anthony]

Re: Article on cancer-causing PAH chemicals in Snus

[quote="Wikipedia"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycyclic_aromatic_hydrocarbon

PAHs are also found in foods. Studies have shown that most food intake of PAHs comes from cereals, oils and fats. Smaller intakes come from vegetables and cooked meats.

This crap seems to be in everything, anyway. So does it have more than, say, a sandwich? Probably not.

[dupee419]

good old american spin. of course they keep the brand hidden even though the company should see the consumer fallout from it.

can anti-tobacco nazis be tried for war crimes yet?

[GoVegan]

I found that same study making rounds in the news the link is here:

http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac/...1021/tx900281u

They did not test any brands that I normally use but my assumption is that the Triumph snus should yield similar results. I kind of think that they are grabbing straws with this study as there are very few cases of cancer connected with the use of snus and this is just one group of carcinogens among many. I don't think that we will ever see a day where scientists cannot prove that snus is much safer than smoking. One interesting note. The average portion of snus contains as much PAH levels as 5 cigarettes yet a grilled burger contains PAH levels that equate to 120 cigarettes. Perhaps we should be banning burgers and promoting snus!!! :lol:

[RRK]

They edited the article.

Moist snuff is mostly used in North America. A similar form of tobacco, called snus, is popular in Scandinavia, but is not smoke-cured like the American version. Both kinds are banned from sale in all European Union countries except Sweden.

[jtwh20]

I found that same study making rounds in the news the link is here:

http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac/...1021/tx900281u

One interesting note. The average portion of snus contains as much PAH levels as 5 cigarettes yet a grilled burger contains PAH levels that equate to 120 cigarettes. Perhaps we should be banning burgers and promoting snus!!! :lol:

Yep - sorry Burger King - we're shutting you down for causing cancer...

[GoVegan]

Would you believe that there are restaurants out there trying to entice our children into eating cancer causing burgers by calling them happy meals or offering toys with the meal? Our congress is misguided and needs to leave snus alone. We need to redirect the PACT Act towards Burger King and help keep our children safe. We can also start a $2.00 per burger tax to help fund children's health care.