Tell a Colleague

Health Risks Specific to Flavored Cigarettes

Flavored cigarettes are of particular concern to the United States due to
the marketing of these products toward youth, and the established
preference of youth for flavored products. In addition, experience with
other flavored tobacco products, including bidis and hookahs, suggests that
youth may perceive such products to be less addictive and less harmful than
conventional cigarettes.

Few scientific studies have evaluated the potential toxicities associated
with repeated inhalation of flavor compounds. To date, those studies
specifically addressing the health concerns around flavored cigarettes
largely have been funded and published by tobacco manufacturers.
Toxicologists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have,
however, identified a class of chemical compounds called alkenylbenzenes in
mainstream cigarette smoke. This class of chemicals is derived from tobacco
flavor additives like nutmeg and cinnamon, and has been linked to cancer,
hallucinations, and central nervous system depression in animals.

Similarly, analysis of flavored bidi cigarettes identified high levels of
alkenylbenzenes in cigarettes marketed with flavors like vanilla,
lemon-lime, wild cherry and cardamom. Studies have shown that these
flavor-related alkenylbenzenes are transferred from tobacco to mainstream
smoke when burned, raising concern for health hazards in humans. It remains
unclear, however, to what degree these chemicals contribute to toxicity of
flavored cigarettes beyond those associated with all inhaled tobacco
products.