14 DAY TRIAL // Research carried out by Prue Talbot's lab at the University of California, Riverside, concluded that harm reducing cigarettes are more harmful than conventional brands.
The scientists studied the effects of cigarette smoke on human embryonic stem cells, and proved that 'harm reduction cigarettes' are a pure marketing strategy, actually more toxic than conventional brands.
Tobacco companies market Light cigarettes as less harmful because less toxic, but the team of stem scientists have discovered that even sidestream smoke from harm reduction cigarettes affects the growth of human embryonic stem cells more than the sidestream smoke from a conventional brand does.
Testing chemical toxicity on actual human embryos is impossible so the scientists developed tests with human embryonic stem cells.
These cells shape young embryos so they are perfect for measuring and comparing the toxicity of mainstream and sidestream smoke, both from conventional and harm reduction cigarettes brands.
The test was carried on Marlboro Lights, Advance Premium Lights, and Quest, with Marlboro Red cigarettes as a standard for conventional brands.
Cigarette smoke includes mainstream smoke – smoke actively inhaled by smokers, and sidestream smoke – which is inhaled by passive smokers.
Prue Talbot, the director of UC Riverside's Stem Cell Center and the leader of the research team said that “harm reduction products are not necessarily safer than their conventional counterparts.
“Our analysis show there is significant toxicity in harm reduction products, and our data show that reduction of carcinogens in harm reduction mainstream smoke does not necessarily reduce the toxicity of unfiltered sidestream smoke.”
“Embryonic stem cells provide the best model currently available for evaluating the effects of environmental toxicants on prenatal stages of development, which are usually the most sensitive to chemical stress,” she added.
Also, sidestream smoke was found to be consistently more potent to the embryonic stem cells than mainstream smoke, for both was harm reduction or conventional cigarette brands.
Talbot, who is also a professor of cell biology and neuroscience, said that “this information should be valuable to potential users of harm reduction cigarettes and should be taken into account when establishing policies regarding the sale, advertising, and use of harm reduction products.”
Harm reduction cigarettes are made by using complex filters or by genetically altering tobacco plants in order to decrease the concentration of nicotine.
The results of the study appear in the November issue of Toxicological Sciences.