Snuffs

There is insufficient evidence to unequivocally link nitrosamine exposure to elevated risk for human cancer (159). There are, however, a number of specific cases, especially with respect to the tobacco-related nitrosamines, in which exposure to V/-nitroso compounds is of concern. The strongest evidence in this context is probably that relating to oral cancer rates among habitual users of smokeless tobacco (snuff). Oral cancer rates among this group are significantly elevated over those of nonusers, and /V-nitrosonornicotine, and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-l-(3-pyridinyl)-l-butanone [64091 -91 both of... 

Chewing and smoking tobacco and snuff 2141 Tobacco stemming and redrying... 

Opioids are easily absorbed subcutaneously and intramuscularly, as well as from the gastrointestinal tract, nasal mucosa (e.g., when heroin is used as snuff), and lung (e.g., when opium is smoked). About 90% of the excretion of morphine occurs during the first 24 hours, but traces are detectable in urine for more than 48 hours. Heroin (diacetyhnorphine) is hydrolyzed to monoacetylmorphine, which is then hydrolyzed to morphine. Morphine and monoacetylmorphine are responsible for the pharmacologic effects of heroin. Heroin produces effects more rapidly than morphine because it is more lipid soluble and therefore crosses the blood-brain barrier faster. In the urine, heroin is detected as free morphine and morphine glucuronide (Gutstein and Akil 2001 Jaffe et al. 2004). 

Table I lists the concentrations of nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) in some of the tobacco products which had greater than 0.5% nitrate content. Tobacco with less than 0.5% nitrate content, such as Bright tobaccos, yielded NDMA, NDEA and nitrosopyrrolidine (NPYR) generally below 5 ppb. The relatively high concentrations of NDMA in fine cut tobaccos and in snuff are possibly of significance in the increased risk for oral cancer among snuff dippers who use these tobacco types repeatedly each day by placing a pinch of the product directly into the gingival buccal fold (6,7).

In tobacco, we found the highest NDELA values for fresh and aged snuff with 6.8 and 3.2 ppm, respectively. The fermentation process appears to increase NDELA, as was also observed for VNA concentrations. There was clear evidence that tobaccos which had not been treated with MH-30, and cigarette smoke obtained from these tobaccos, were free of NDELA, whereas all MH-30 treated tobaccos and cigarette smoke derived from them showed measurable quantities of this nitrosamine (19). 

Nonvolatile Nitrosamines In Tobacco. A method which we developed several years ago for the analysis of tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNA 31) involves extraction of tobacco with buffered ascorbic acid TpH 4.5) followed by partition with ethyl acetate, chromatographic clean-up on silica gel, and analysis by HPLC-TEA (Figure 9). Results obtained with this method for a large spectrum of tobacco products (Table IV), strongly support the concept that the levels of nitrate and alkaloids, and especially the methods for curing and fermentation, determine the yields of TSNA in tobacco products. Recent and as yet preliminary data from snuff analyses indicate that aerobic bacteria play a role in the formation of TSNA during air curing and fermentation. 

Nonvolatile Nitrosamines In Saliva. In vitro experiments had indicated that the tobacco-specific nitrosamines are formed also during snuff dipping (26). Therefore, we analyzed the saliva of snuff dippers and tobacco chewers. A comparison of the results demonstrated the presence of TSNA in saliva at a wide range of concentrations (Table Vl), which could be ascribed to differences in the product, but also to differences in the manner of chewing, and, lastly, to individual factors in each person s saliva. 

In order to verify some of these associations, we gave 4 women, who had been habitual snuff dippers for more than 10 years, identical samples of a snuff product. The women used this product under controlled conditions and we collected saliva twice on subsequent days. Table VII shows the differences observed... 

TOBACCO SPECIFIC H-NITRDSAMINES IH OnOBRCIAL D.S., BAVARIAN AW SfiEDISH SNUFF ... 

DETERMIliATlON OF TOMGCO SPECIFIC N-NITROSAMIEES IN SALIVA OF SNUFF DIPPING WOMEN... 

Tobacco Specific N-Nitrosamines Snuff Dipper Saliva Collected (ng/g)... 

Table VII. ANflSSIS GF 9IIFF AN) SSUVA OF SNDBF mFEBB ( 5) SNUFF 2 SAUVA 00 g Ti Ti 1 tn H...

Snuff Dipper Alkaloids iqg/g Nitrosanine pg/g Ratio Nitrosamines ppb Ratio ... 

The women were long-term snuff dippers OlO years). 

Analysis was completed for the same snuff which the specific volunteer consumed. 

Hoffmann, D. Adams, J.D. Carcinogenic Tobacco Specific N-Nitrosamines in Snuff and in the Saliva of Snuff Dippers. Submitted. 

Whenever powders are transported, they should be tested to determine whether there is a strong possibility of a fire or explosion. If the potential exists and there is a high probability of extensive damage, then a preventive device must be able to detect and snuff out the explosion in less than 0.1 sec after the initial blast occurs. 

In some cases more drastic action may be necessary. For instance, when the temperature of a reactor exceeds a given value a reaction inhibitor may be added to the mixture. Or, as noted before, when small solid particles are being handled in the presence of air, a fire-suppression system may be installed that will quickly snuff out any incipient explosion. 

During a 1993 interview with Russbacher in a Missouri prison, we got on the subject of the perverse habits of those in powerful places. Russbacher launched into a quick summary of Operation Clydesdale, which he claimed was done out of Arnold, Missouri. The purpose was to ferret out wealthy pedophile types who were engaged in kiddie snuff pornography. A toll free phone number was distributed in all the right places to lure out those who enjoy either viewing, recruiting or using children in what must be labeled as one of the most horrific acts one human can do to another. 

One of the best studied tryptamine derivatives is DMT (37). DMT and 5-OMeDMT (59) are probably the active constituents of a variety of South American hallucinogenic snuffs. These and related indolealkylamines have been detected in members of at least five different plant families Agaricaceae, Leg-uminosae, Malpighiaceae, Myristicaceae and Rubiaceae (107,109,110,187). In... 

The earliest archaeological evidence for the use of hallucinogenic snuffs dates to 1500 B.C. in Mesoamerica. Use of tobacco snuffs, from which such use was modeled, however, may date to 5000 B.C. There are probably no animal examples of intranasal self-administration that served as original models for this behavior, although the iconography of snuffing pipes and other paraphernalia is replete with animal symbolism (11). Bird bones were commonly used as early snuffing... 

N-Monoalkyltryptamines are another group of agents that have not received much attention. N-Methyltryptamine (27) and its 5-methoxy derivative 36 have been detected as constituents of plant materials used by certain South American Indians as hallucinogenic snuffs (109). Because these plant materials are also known to possess the established hallucinogens N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT 37) and 5-OMeDMT and since neither N-methyltryptamine (27) nor 5-methoxy-N-methyltryptamine (36) has been studied in the pure form, the effect of these latter two agents in man is presently unknown. 

The 5-hydroxy derivative of DMT, bufotenine, or N,N-dimethyl-serotonin, is another naturally occurring tryptamine found to occur in South American snuffs. Intravenous administration of bufotenine (53) was reported by Fabing and co-workers (59,60) to be hallucinogenic in man. This finding is in conflict with a later report by Turner and Merlis (235). Apparently, due to its low lipid... 

Holmstedt, B. (1965) Tryptamine derivatives in Epena, an intoxicating snuff used by some South American Indians. Arch. Ini. Pharmacodyn. Ther., 156 285-305. 

Holmstedt, B., and Lindgren, J.-E. (1979) Chemical constituents and pharmacology of South American snuffs. In Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs, edited by D. H. Efron, B. Holmstedt, and N. S. Kline, pp. 339-373. Raven Press, New York. 

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