Estimating the Carcinogenic Potency of Second-Hand Smoke and Aerosol from Cigarettes and Heated Tobacco Products

Tomoyasu Hirano; Teiji Takei

doi:10.3390/ijerph17228319

Estimating the Carcinogenic Potency of Second-Hand Smoke and Aerosol from Cigarettes and Heated Tobacco Products

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Nov 10;17(22):8319. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17228319.

Authors

Tomoyasu Hirano¹, Teiji Takei¹

Affiliation

¹ Division of Tobacco Policy Research, Center for Cancer Control and Information Services, National Cancer Center, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan.

Abstract

The revised Promotion Act, enforced in April 2020, allows the establishment of dedicated smoking rooms for heated tobacco products (HTPs). Since carcinogenicity assessment is unable to determine the safe level of secondhand smoke, we estimated excess lifetime cancer risk using previously reported risk factors. Assuming that nicotine inhalation is proportional to cancer potency, the lifetime cancer risk for HTP IQOS is expected to be below 10^-5 (1/100,000), which is three orders of magnitude lower than that for cigarettes.

Keywords: heated tobacco products (HTPs); lifetime excess cancer risk; policy; secondhand aerosol.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aerosols* / toxicity
Carcinogens* / toxicity
Nicotiana / toxicity
Risk Assessment*
Tobacco Products* / toxicity
Tobacco Smoke Pollution / adverse effects

Substances

Aerosols
Carcinogens
Tobacco Smoke Pollution