Trends in Manufacturer-Reported Nicotine Yields in Cigarettes Sold in the United States, 2013-2016.

INTRODUCTION: A gradual reduction of cigarette nicotine content to nonaddictive levels has been proposed as an endgame strategy to accelerate declines in combustible tobacco smoking. We assessed manufacturer-reported nicotine yield in cigarettes sold in the United States from 2013 to 2016. METHODS: We merged machine-measured nicotine yield in cigarette smoke and pack characteristics obtained from reports filed by tobacco manufacturers with the Federal Trade Commission for 2013-2016 with monthly Nielsen data on US cigarette sales. Manufacturer-reported, sales-weighted, average annual nicotine yield was assessed, as were nicotine yield sales trends by quartile: markedly low (0.10-0.60 mg/stick), low (0.61-0.80 mg/stick), moderate (0.81-0.90 mg/stick), and high (0.91-3.00 mg/stick). Trends in overall, menthol, and nonmenthol pack sales, by nicotine yield quartiles over the study period and by year, were determined by using Joinpoint regression. RESULTS: During 2013-2016, average annual sales-weighted nicotine yield for all cigarettes increased from 0.903 mg/stick (95% CI, 0.882-0.925) in 2013 to 0.938 mg/stick (95% CI, 0.915-0.962) in 2016 (P < .05). For menthol cigarettes, yield increased from 0.943 mg/stick in 2013 (95% CI, 0.909-0.977) to 1.037 mg/stick in 2016 (95% CI, 0.993-1.081), increasing 0.2% each month (P < .05). Most pack sales occurred among high (41.5%) and low (30.7%) nicotine yield quartiles. Cigarette sales for the markedly low quartile decreased by an average of 0.4% each month during 2013-2016 (P < .05). CONCLUSION: During 2013-2016, manufacturer-reported, sales-weighted nicotine yield in cigarettes increased, most notably for menthol cigarettes. Continued monitoring of nicotine yield and content in cigarettes can inform tobacco control strategies.

Severe Pulmonary Disease Associated with Electronic-Cigarette-Product Use - Interim Guidance.

On September 6, 2019, this report was posted as an MMWR Early Release on the MMWR website (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr). As of August 27, 2019, 215 possible cases of severe pulmonary disease associated with the use of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) products (e.g., devices, liquids, refill pods, and cartridges) had been reported to CDC by 25 state health departments. E-cigarettes are devices that produce an aerosol by heating a liquid containing various chemicals, including nicotine, flavorings, and other additives (e.g., propellants, solvents, and oils). Users inhale the aerosol, including any additives, into their lungs. Aerosols produced by e-cigarettes can contain harmful or potentially harmful substances, including heavy metals such as lead, volatile organic compounds, ultrafine particles, cancer-causing chemicals, or other agents such as chemicals used for cleaning the device (1). E-cigarettes also can be used to deliver tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the principal psychoactive component of cannabis, or other drugs; for example, "dabbing" involves superheating substances that contain high concentrations of THC and other plant compounds (e.g., cannabidiol) with the intent of inhaling the aerosol. E-cigarette users could potentially add other substances to the devices. This report summarizes available information and provides interim case definitions and guidance for reporting possible cases of severe pulmonary disease. The guidance in this report reflects data available as of September 6, 2019; guidance will be updated as additional information becomes available.

Exposure to Secondhand Smoke Among Nonsmokers - United States, 1988-2014.

Exposure to secondhand smoke from burning tobacco products can cause sudden infant death syndrome, respiratory infections, ear infections, and asthma attacks in infants and children, and coronary heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer in adult nonsmokers (1). There is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke exposure (2). CDC analyzed questionnaire and laboratory data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to assess patterns of secondhand smoke exposure among U.S. nonsmokers. The prevalence of secondhand smoke exposure among U.S. nonsmokers declined substantially during 1988-2014, from 87.5% to 25.2%. However, no change in exposure occurred between 2011-2012 and 2013-2014, and an estimated one in four nonsmokers, or approximately 58 million persons, were still exposed to secondhand smoke during 2013-2014. Moreover, marked disparities persisted across population groups. Exposure prevalence was highest among nonsmokers aged 3-11 years (37.9%), non-Hispanic blacks (50.3%), and those who were living in poverty (47.9%), in rental housing (38.6%), or with someone who smoked inside the home (73.0%), or among persons who had less than a high school education (30.7%). Comprehensive smoke-free laws and policies for workplaces and public places and smoke-free rules for homes and vehicles can further reduce secondhand smoke exposure among all nonsmokers.

Trends in Secondhand Smoke Exposure, 2011-2018: Impact and Implications of Expanding Serum Cotinine Range.

INTRODUCTION: The impact of defining secondhand smoke exposure among nonsmokers using an expanded serum cotinine range is currently unknown. METHODS: This study assessed the trends in secondhand smoke exposure prevalence among a nationally representative sample of 23,753 U.S. nonsmokers aged ≥3 years. Serum cotinine ranges of 0.05-10 ng/mL (established) and of 0.015-10 ng/mL (expanded) were analyzed in 2021 using data from the 2011-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. RESULTS: During 2011-2018, the percentage of people with a serum cotinine range of 0.05-10 ng/mL remained stable (25.3% to 24.6%) across most sociodemographic subgroups but declined significantly among adult Mexican Americans aged ≥20 years (23.9% to 14.1%). However, the percentage of people with serum cotinine range of 0.015-10 ng/mL significantly declined (58.3% to 52.3%) among male individuals (60.9% to 55.0%), among female individuals (56.2% to 50.0%), among adults aged ≥20 years (55.8% to 49.2%), among Mexican Americans (60.9% to 41.2%), among people with a college degree or higher (44.4% to 36.0%), among those who rented their housing (71.7% to 62.5%), among people not living with someone who smoked inside the home (56.1% to 50.0%), and among Mexican Americans aged ≥20 years (60.9% to 39.1%) (all p<0.05 for linear trend test). CONCLUSIONS: Expanding the serum cotinine range to 0.015-10 ng/mL more than doubles the estimated proportion of U.S. nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke. In contrast to a serum cotinine range of 0.05-10 ng/mL, it suggests that progress has been made in reducing population-level secondhand smoke exposure during 2011-2018, especially among nonsmokers experiencing lower exposure levels.

Tobacco-Free Pharmacies and U.S. Adult Smoking Behavior: Evidence From CVS Health's Removal of Tobacco Sales.

INTRODUCTION: Beginning September 3, 2014, CVS Health stopped selling tobacco products in all of its retail stores nationwide. This study assessed the impact of removing tobacco sales from CVS Health on cigarette smoking behaviors among U.S. adult smokers. METHODS: CVS Health retail location data (2012-2016) were linked with data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a phone-based survey of the non-institutionalized civilian population aged ≥18 years. Using a difference-in-differences regression model, quit attempts and daily versus nondaily smoking were compared between smokers living in counties with CVS stores and counties without CVS stores, before and after CVS's removal of tobacco sales. Control variables included individuals' sociodemographic and health-related variables, state tobacco control variables, and urban status of counties. Analyses were conducted in 2018. RESULTS: During the 2-year period following the removal of tobacco sales from CVS Health, smokers living in counties with high CVS density (≥3.5 CVS stores per 100,000 people) had a 2.21% (95% CI=0.08, 4.33) increase in their quit attempt rates compared with smokers living in counties without CVS stores. This effect was greater in urban areas (marginal effect: 3.03%, 95% CI=0.81, 5.25); however, there was no statistically significant impact in rural areas. Additionally, there was no impact on daily versus nondaily smoking in either urban or rural areas. CONCLUSIONS: Removing tobacco sales in retail pharmacies could help support cessation among U.S. adults who are attempting to quit smoking, particularly in urban areas.

Measuring Movement to Determine Physiological Roles of Acetylcholinesterase Classes in Caenorhabditis elegans.

A difference in movement has been hypothesized to exist between Caenorhabditis elegans strains lacking one of two main genes for acetylcholinesterase (AChE), ace-1(+) and ace-2(+). We explored the precision of movement as an endpoint by measuring and comparing the movements of these strains (VC505 and GG202, respectively) and of N2 (wild-type). The order of movement of the strains is: N2 > VC505 > GG202; therefore, loss of the ace-2(+) gene is more detrimental to movement. We then compared the sensitivities of the three strains to an AChE inhibitor (propoxur) by generating movement-concentration curves, identifying effective concentrations that decreased movement by 50% (EC(50)), and comparing them. EC(50) show an order of: N2 approximately GG202 < VC505. Therefore, the enzymes encoded by ace-1(+) were more susceptible to propoxur than those of ace-2(+), suggesting that the innate difference in the AChE classes' contributions to movement will not always determine the strain sensitivity. Measuring movement was sufficiently precise to record differences following genetic manipulation and further chemical exposure.

Electronic Cigarette Exposure: Calls to Wisconsin Poison Control Centers, 2010­2015.

BACKGROUND: E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that deliver nicotine and flavorings by aerosol and have been marketed in the United States since 2007. Because e-cigarettes have increased in popularity, toxicity potential from device misuse and malfunction also has increased. National data indicate that during 2010­2014, exposure calls to US poison control centers increased only 0.3% for conventional cigarette exposures, whereas calls increased 41.7% for e-cigarette exposures. METHODS: We characterized cigarette and e-cigarette exposure calls to the Wisconsin Poison Center January 1, 2010 through October 10, 2015. We compared cigarette and e-cigarette exposure calls by exposure year, demographic characteristics, caller site, exposure site, exposure route, exposure reason, medical outcome, management site, and level of care at a health care facility. RESULTS: During January 2010 to October 2015, a total of 98 e-cigarette exposure calls were reported, and annual exposure calls increased approximately 17-fold, from 2 to 35. During the same period, 671 single-exposure cigarette calls with stable annual call volumes were reported. E-cigarette exposure calls were associated with children aged ≤5 years (57/98, 58.2%) and adults aged ≥20 years (30/98, 30.6%). Cigarette exposure calls predominated among children aged ≤5 years (643/671, 95.8%). CONCLUSION: The frequency of e-cigarette exposure calls to the Wisconsin Poison Center has increased and is highest among children aged ≤5 years and adults. Strategies are warranted to prevent future poisonings from these devices, including nicotine warning labels and public advisories to keep e-cigarettes away from children.

Reversible AChE inhibitors in C. elegans vs. rats, mice.

We are investigating whether Caenorhabditis elegans could be used as a screen for vertebrates by comparing the responses of components of its cholinergic system to well-characterized toxicants. We assessed whether C. elegans displays similar toxicity as rats and mice to reversible acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors, and sought to corroborate that the toxicity mechanism is the same. To determine relative potencies, movement-concentration curves were generated, 50th percentiles for movement were located, ranked and compared statistically to rat and mouse oral acute LD50s. The ranking was significantly correlated to rat and mouse rankings (alpha=0.05). We measured a concentration-dependent decrease in AChE activity correlating to a decrease in movement for each carbamate, suggesting that the mechanism of toxicity is the same. Finally, as seen in mammals, inhibition of AChE activity occurred before a movement decrease. The response of C. elegans to carbamate exposure shows significant correlation to rat and mouse data.