Re: TNSA and oral cancer

General

TNSA and oral cancer

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Anonymous 10-04-2008, 12:41 AM
What evidence exists to support TNSA in ST causes oral cancers?  I've seen some literature that suggests TNSA in food can cause colon cancers (measured in micro-gram/kg).  The TNSAs in ST seem to be measured in micro-gram/g, but I'm having difficulty understanding the affects of these TNSAs as a unit of weight and as confined to the oral region.

Erik

Re: TNSA and oral cancer

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admin 10-07-2008, 8:58 AM
First of all, we can lose the worries about TSNAs in food because they do not exist....TSNA stands for tobacco specific nitrosamines, in other words, nitrosamines found only in tobacco.  Second, though toxicology might be useful in showing that TSNAs move from the product to the person, that is not the same as being able to determine a specific effect of a given amount on a specific individual as you could with lets say a trauma like a fall.

I wasn't exactly sure what you meant by the last part of your question so to give you the best answer, and from a source more familiar with the technical details involved, I contacted Dr. Brad Rodu, who has considerable experience in this, and he sent this paragraph which had been part of another question he had dealt with in the past, and which I hope answers your question.

American moist snuff products in the 1980s and 1990s had higher TSNA levels, yet epidemiologic studies found that there was little risk for oral cancer.  Most American and virtually all Swedish products now meet the Swedish standard for low TSNA levels, which is 10 parts per million (ppm), based on dry weight of the tobacco.  Levels in Swedish products are generally around 4 ppm.  Some American products are around 5 ppm, while others are in the range of 10 to 15.  However, two American smokeless products, available as dissolvable pellets (Ariva and Stonewall), have TSNA levels of only 0.1 to 0.2 ppm.  There is no scientific evidence supporting any measurable difference in health effects from using products with TSNA levels of 10-15 ppm versus those with 0.1 ppm.  Demands on manufacturers to push TSNAs below current levels, which are the lowest in history, ought to be based on a scientific rationale incorporating some health endpoint.  Otherwise, eliminating TSNAs from tobacco makes no more sense than eliminating traces of the 21 carcinogens in roasted coffee, which have not been demonstrated to confer any health risks.