Extraction of Benzo[a]pyrene from Moist Snuff with Water or Artificial Saliva (Part 2)

The present study evaluated the in vitro extraction of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) from moist snuff into water and into artificial saliva. A similar, previous study evaluated the levels of BaP that remained in the moist snuff after the extraction but did not measure the levels of BaP in the water or saliva extract. The previous study showed that the remaining levels of BaP in the solid material were between 96.3% and 109.6% relative to the initial level of BaP, when the snuff was washed with water and between 99.4% and 108.3% from the initial level of BaP, when the snuff was washed with both saliva and water. Nine moist snuff samples (eight being the same brands as evaluated in the previous study) were analyzed in the present study. Several improvements were made compared to the previous study regarding the extraction conditions. The extraction was performed for 1 h at 37 °C, using a mechanical agitator.

The previous study used a commercially available artificial saliva which had an adjusted pH but did not contain enzymes or salts. This saliva was replaced with complete artificial saliva containing salts, mucin and enzymes. The results indicated that the level of BaP extracted in 100 mL water from 5 g of moist snuff at 37 °C ranged between 1.0% and 1.7% of the initial level present in tobacco. For artificial saliva, the extracted level of BaP was between 2% and 3.9% from the initial level, depending on the moist snuff brand. Although the BaP level extracted from the moist snuff with artificial saliva remained very low, the surfactant character of artificial saliva increased BaP extraction relative to water by a factor of approximately two. This study supports the previous reported finding that the vast majority of BaP in moist snuff is not extracted in water or artificial saliva.