Hand-rolled cigarettes as deadly as ready-mades

Roll-your-own (RYO) cigarettes expose smokers to similar levels of cancer-causing chemicals as manufactured cigarettes, according to new research published in the journal Addiction Biology.

Scientists measured the concentration of two well-known cancer causing substances in urine samples taken from 127 people who smoked ready-made cigarettes, and compared them with 28 samples from RYO cigarette smokers.

After adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, puffing behaviour and nicotine exposure, the researchers found no difference in the concentrations of the two toxins between the manufactured and RYO cigarette smokers.

Alarmingly, women were found to have higher concentrations of the toxins irrespective of the cigarette type smoked.

Lead researcher Dr. Lion Shaab from Cancer Research UK said: "Many smokers believe that RYO cigarettes are more 'natural' and therefore are less harmful than manufactured cigarettes. The current findings suggest that this is not the case.

"These findings also show that women in particular accumulate higher concentrations of cancer causing chemicals in their body whether they smoke RYO or manufactured cigarettes."

Elspeth Lee, Cancer Research UK's head of tobacco control, added: "These results further highlight that there's no such thing as a safe cigarette. Hand rolled tobacco is more commonly used by people from lower socio-economic groups, and it is also in poorer communities that smoking rates are highest.

"It's important that people know that using hand-rolled tobacco may be cheaper but is every bit as toxic as ready made cigarettes."

She also stressed that half of all long term smokers die from their addiction, and preventing children from smoking was vital.

"Putting tobacco out of sight in shops and getting rid of vending machines will all help to protect young people from the devastating influence of tobacco marketing. We're calling on parliament to adopt these measures in the new Health Bill," she said.

This article was published on Tue 7 July 2009