Smokers banished 25 feet from building entries and walkways could soon rejoin the masses by simply eating a mint instead. Dissolvable tobacco products, such as Ariva and Stonewall, have been on the market since 2001, but a new product line from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company is causing quite a hubbub with health officials.
Camel Orbs, Camel Sticks and Camel Strips are made of highly refined tobacco that slowly dissolves in the mouth.
They come in mint or cinnamon flavors, cost about $4 a pack and are spicing up the smokeless tobacco industry as a spitless, non-obtrusive form of tobacco that health officials say is being marketed to kids.
The products began test marketing in Portland, Ore.; Columbus, Ohio; and Indianapolis in 2009.
David Howard, director of communications for Reynolds American Services, said in an e-mail that the company would “not speculate on any plans it may or may not be considering, and there is no timetable for nationwide distribution of the Camel tobacco products.”
While the mints may offer an under-the-radar nicotine fix for smokers, researchers from the American Academy of Pediatrics warn of the product’s potential to poison children and create addiction among youths.
A study published by the academy in its journal, Pediatrics, on April 19, examined child poisonings from tobacco ingestion and assessed the potential toxicity of smokeless tobacco products. The results found that smokeless tobacco products are the second-most commonly ingested by children, and concluded that dissolvable and novelty nicotine products require further study by public health authorities to determine regulations before national release.
The study describes the Orbs are a serious concern because of their “discreet form, candy-like appearance and added flavoring that may be attractive to young children.”
The colorful packing resembles that of Tic Tacs and claims to be “child-resistant.”
In a press release responding to the article published in Pediatrics, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company highlighted that 91 percent of accidental tobacco ingestions in the study involved cigarettes, butts, cigars and traditional moist snuff, but not its dissolvable tobacco products. The company said the study was “remarkably selective in its focus” and failed to include all potential household sources of nicotine products.
The bottom line, they said, is that tobacco products, along with many other goods, need to be kept out of the hands of children.
Although the products pose a risk to children, Swenson said people addicted to nicotine might find the product beneficial in situations where smoking is not permissible or is socially uncouth.
While having a smoke by the fountain in Red Square, Western seniors Eric Skaar and Jacob Eskenazi said they would use the Orbs as an alternative to smoking if it were cost-effective.
Eskenazi said the mints would come in handy in class or during finals week when he sometimes smokes as much as a pack a day to relieve stress. He said the mints would be much better for his lungs.
As for social situations, Skaar said the mints would be a lot easier for people to accept rather than the smelly hands and bad breath that are the result of smoking cigarettes.
“It’s not something you would want to do all the time,” Skaar said. “A real smoker would still like a cigarette sometimes and not some flavored bullshit.”
Jeanne Freeman, a health education professor at Western, said she is concerned by the amount of nicotine present in the product.
A study by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that Camel Orbs have an average of 0.83 mg of nicotine. Product information from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company said Camel Sticks contain 3.1 mg of nicotine per stick,
and Camel Strips contain 0.6 mg per strip.
According to the study, 1 mg of nicotine is enough to produce symptoms such as nausea and vomiting in a small child.
The study estimated the minimal lethal dose for a child is 1 mg of nicotine per kilogram of body weight, which means three to four Camel Orbs could kill a 7-pound baby.
Depending on the brand, a typical cigarette contains anywhere between 0.8 and 1.8 mg of nicotine.
“Since nicotine is the leading addictive agent in tobacco products,” Freeman said, “my question is whether these dissolvable products may increase nicotine addiction among users, thereby creating health issues from nicotine poisoning.”
Freeman said it is possible that adults might think one mint could not give them what they are seeking from a cigarette, and would then decide to consume three, four or five or more at the same time.
For those looking to alternative tobacco or nicotine products to quit smoking, Emily Gibson, director of the Student Health Center, said the regulated pharmaceutical nicotine replacement medications in gum, patch and nasal form are the best for a nicotine substitute.
“Stick with the products that have actually been tested and are monitored by governmental agencies,” Gibson said.
Until the smoke clears on the issue, the future of the dissolvable tobacco mints remains uncertain.
By Mitch Olsen, Westernfrontonline