The reduction of the tumorigenicity of cigarette smoke condensate by addition of sodium nitrate to tobacco.

The tumorigenic activity of cigarette smoke condensate and the concentrations of certain selected chemical constituents in the smoke of cigarettes treated with 8.3% XaNOs are compared with those of a standard (untreated) cigarette. The NaN03 treatment resulted in a significant reduction of particulate matter and also a statistically significant selective reduction of nicotine, phenol, and benzo(a)pyrene in the smoke as compared with the untreated cigarette. Smoke condensate from the treated cigarette proved to be less toxic and gave a significantly lower tumor yield than the con densate from the standard cigarette. The academic and practical aspects of these findings will be discussed.