New Attempt to Reduce the Harm of Smoking: Reducing the Nitrosamines Level in Tobacco Smoke by Microwave Irradiation

In order to protect the environment and public health, microwave irradiation was investigated as a means of reducing the nitrosamines level of tobacco smoke under mild conditions where the microwave energy was 1 kW and the irradiation time was shorter than 2 min. The microwave‐induced elimination of nitrosamines such as N‐nitrosopyrrolidine (NPYR) and N‐nitrosodiphenylamine (NDPA) was investigated and the impact of the presence of water and salt in the medium on the reduction was assessed in detail. The existence of water in the medium was crucial for the microwave‐induced reduction of NDPA, because the rapid movement of water molecules under the influence of microwaves strongly affects the adjacent nitrosamines leading to their decomposition. This was the first time that microwaves have been used to directly irradiate cigarettes sealed in their packaging, and the nitrosamines content of tobacco and smoke of these irradiated cigarettes were analyzed with care. Irradiation for 90 s with microwave energy of 1kW was seen to reduce 25 to 30% of the nitrosamines in tobacco and 50 to 60% of the levels present in the mainstream smoke of the cigarette. Moreover, lower mutagenic activity and higher CHO cell livability were found for the irradiated cigarettes in comparison with the control according to the results of in vitro tests.