Learning Objectives: Understand menthol and other tobacco additives.
Abstract: Menthol is the only cigarette additive that is actively promoted by the industry. Initially marketed aggressively to African Americans, the 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse confirms significant use of mentholated cigarettes not only among African Americans, but also among White and Hispanic youth and by women. Indeed, Newport, the top U.S. menthol brand, is now second only to Marlboro in market share. Because of the association of menthol with medications, many consumers believe that menthol cigarettes are safer. Far from being innocuous, menthol in tobacco has been shown to increase carbon monoxide and cotinine levles, expand the bronchial passages to increase particulate permeation into the lungs and may result in increased retention of smoke constituents in the lungs, all contributing to increased body burden of toxins. The current state-of-the-science regarding the social cachet, epidemiology, marketing and toxicology of menthol cigarettes in the United States will be presented. The information presented in this panel is a prerequisite for tobacco control activists not only to promote better understanding of menthol, but as a model for understanding other tobacco additives.
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