Short-term clinical exposure evaluation of a third-generation electrically heated cigarette smoking system (EHCSS) in adult smokers

This randomized, controlled, forced-switching, open-label, parallel-group, single-center study in 100 male and female adult smokers evaluated 12 biomarkers of tobacco smoke exposure. We measured exposure to the following smoke constituents: nicotine, pyrene, tobacco-specific nitrosamines, three aromatic amines, carbon monoxide, benzene, acrolein, crotonaldehyde, and 1,3-butadiene. After baseline exposure determination, adult smokers of a conventional cigarette (CC) were switched to an electrically heated cigarette smoking system (EHCSS, Series K), continued smoking the CC, or stopped smoking (No-smoking) for 8 days in a controlled, confined, clinical setting. In the EHCSS group, the mean decrease from Baseline to Day 8 in the biomarkers of exposure ranged from 16% to 77% at Day 8 compared to Baseline. After adjusting for the residual effect (carryover effects due to long elimination half-life and non-tobacco confounding sources of exposure), the mean percent decrease from Baseline for all 12 biomarkers ranged from 47% to 90%. In conclusion, switching for 8 days from a conventional cigarette to the EHCSS substantially reduced exposure of adult smokers to several constituents of both the particulate and gas phases of cigarette smoke. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.