Skip to main content
NCBI home page
British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Ed.) logoLink to British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Ed.)
. 1981 Sep 26;283(6295):814–817. doi: 10.1136/bmj.283.6295.814

Nicotine intake by snuff users.

M A Russell, M J Jarvis, G Devitt, C Feyerabend
PMCID: PMC1507093  PMID: 6794710

Abstract

Blood nicotine and cotinine concentrations were measured in 27 volunteers before and after taking snuff. Within 10 minutes after snuffing blood nicotine concentrations were comparable to those obtained after the 10 minutes or so that it takes to smoke a cigarette. Nicotine intake from snuffing was related to the experience of the snuffer. In daily and occasional snuffers increases in plasma nicotine concentrations averaged 77.7 and 12.3 nmol/l (12.6 and 2.0 ng/ml) respectively, while the novices showed no appreciable increase. The increase shown by thea daily snuffers was comparable to the average increase of 62.3 nmol/l (10.1 ng/ml) obtained from a single cigarette by a group of heavy smokers. The peak nicotine concentrations in the daily snuffers were also similar to the peak values in 136 heavy smokers--222.6 and 226-3 nmol/l (36.1 and 36.7 ng/ml), respectively. Unusual multiple-dose snuffing produced massive increases in plasma nicotine to concentrations that have never been recorded in smokers. The similarity of the concentrations produced by regular daily snuffing and regular daily smoking suggests that the plasma nicotine concentration has some controlling influence over the self-regulation of these two quite different forms of tobacco use. The rapid absorption of nicotine from snuff confirms its potential as an acceptable and relatively harmless substitute for smoking.

Full text

PDF
814

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Blot W. J., Fraumeni J. F., Jr Geographic patterns of oral cancer in the United States: etilogic implications. J Chronic Dis. 1977 Nov;30(11):745–757. doi: 10.1016/0021-9681(77)90003-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Feyerabend C., Russell M. A. Assay of nicotine in biological materials: sources of contamination and their elimination. J Pharm Pharmacol. 1980 Mar;32(3):178–181. doi: 10.1111/j.2042-7158.1980.tb12885.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Feyerabend C., Russell M. A. Rapid gas-liquid chromatographic determination of cotinine in biological fluids. Analyst. 1980 Oct;105(1255):998–1001. doi: 10.1039/an9800500998. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Hecht S. S., Ornaf R. M., Hoffmann D. Chemical studies on tobacco smoke. XXXIII. N' -nitrosonornicotine in tobacco: analysis of possible contributing factors and biologic implications. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1975 May;54(5):1237–1244. doi: 10.1093/jnci/54.5.1237. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hoffmann D., Raineri R., Hecht S. S., Maronpot R., Wynder E. L. A study of tobacco carcinogenesis. XIV. Effects of N'-nitrosonornicotine and N'-nitrosonanabasine in rats. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1975 Oct;55(4):977–981. doi: 10.1093/jnci/55.4.977. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Jarvis M. J., Russell M. A., Saloojee Y. Expired air carbon monoxide: a simple breath test of tobacco smoke intake. Br Med J. 1980 Aug 16;281(6238):484–485. doi: 10.1136/bmj.281.6238.484. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Russell M. A., Jarvis M. J., Feyerabend C. A new age for snuff? Lancet. 1980 Mar 1;1(8166):474–475. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(80)91010-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Russell M. A., Raw M., Taylor C., Feyerabend C., Saloojee Y. Blood nicotine and carboxyhemoglobin levels after rapid-smoking aversion therapy. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1978 Dec;46(6):1423–1431. doi: 10.1037//0022-006x.46.6.1423. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Smith J. F., Mincer H. A., Hopkins K. P., Bell J. Snuff-dipper's lesion. A cytological and pathological study in a large population. Arch Otolaryngol. 1970 Nov;92(5):450–456. doi: 10.1001/archotol.1970.04310050032005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Temple D. J. The absorption of nicotine from tobacco snuff through the nasal mucosa. Arch Pharm (Weinheim) 1976 Dec;309(12):984–987. doi: 10.1002/ardp.19763091207. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Winn D. M., Blot W. J., Shy C. M., Pickle L. W., Toledo A., Fraumeni J. F., Jr Snuff dipping and oral cancer among women in the southern United States. N Engl J Med. 1981 Mar 26;304(13):745–749. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198103263041301. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Medical Journal (Clinical research ed.) are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES