The Contribution of cocoa additive to cigarette smoking addiction

Page 42 of 207 RIVM report 650270002
Caffeine
It can be concluded that caffeine exerts various pharmacological and toxicological
effects in the body. There are no data available on the pharmacodynamics,
pharmacokinetics and toxicology after inhalation exposure.
Assuming similar systemic effects after oral and inhalation exposure, the additional
risk for systemic effects of caffeine by cigarette smoking (estimated to be 0.5
mg/day) will be low compared with the oral intake via coffee, tea, chocolate and
cocoa drinks (estimated 12 – 405 mg/day).
Since no data on the toxicological effects of caffeine exposure through inhalation are
available, the influence of exposure to caffeine through smoking on the respiratory
system cannot be established.
For smoking the bronchodilatory effect seems to be relevant, but the doses occurring
in cigarettes seem not sufficient to evoke such an effect, and therefore it is unlikely
that caffeine plays a role in taboaccoa addition via this mechanism.
Of importance is the potential mutagenic effect of caffeine; the question is whether
the low caffeine dose is able to display local mutagenic effects in the pulmonary
system. Since no data on the local toxicological effects of caffeine exposure through
inhalation are available, the shortterm and longterm effects of exposure to caffeine
through smoking on the respiratory system cannot be established. Furthermore, its
additive effects on other methylxanthines present in cigarette smoke are also not
known and have to be studied.
More studies are needed on:
the determination of pyrolysis and combustion products of caffeine in cigarette
smoke;
the local (respiratory system) and the systemic effects of long-term use of caffeine
alone and in combination with other xanthines via inhalation.
Date this sheet was generated
Based on literature available in May 2001.
REFERENCES
(1) Caffeine. Coffe, tea, mate, methylxanthines and methylglyoxal. Lyon: World
Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 1991:
291-390.
(2) The Merck Index. Electronic version 12:1., 1996. Chapman & Hall EPD.
(3) Brandweerinformatiecentrum voor gevaarlijke stoffen (BIG). Electronic
version 9.0., 2001. Belgium.
(4) Roemer E, Hackenberg U. Mouse skin bioassay of smoke condensates from
cigarettes containing different levels of cocoa. Food Addit Contam, 1990;
7(4):563-569.
(5) Tarka-SM J. The toxicology of cocoa and methylxanthines: a review of the
literature. Crit Rev Toxicol, 1982; 9(4):275-312.