Calculated cancer risks for conventional and "potentially reduced exposure product" cigarettes

Toxicant deliveries (by machine smoking) are compiled and associated cancer risks are calculated for 13 carcinogens from 26 brands of conventional cigarettes categorized as "regular" (R), "light" (Lt), or "ultralight" (ULt), and for a reference cigarette. Eight "potentially reduced exposure product" (PREP) cigarettes are also considered. Because agency-to-agency differences exist in the cancer slope factor (CSF) values adopted for some carcinogens, two CSF sets were used in the calculations: set I [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-accepted values plus California EPA-accepted values as needed to fill data gaps] and set II (vice versa). The potential effects of human smoking patterns on cigarette deliveries are considered. Acetaldehyde, 1,3-butadiene, and acrylonitrile are associated with the largest calculated cancer risks for all 26 brands of conventional cigarettes. The calculated risks are proportional to the smoking dose z (pack-years). Using CSF set I and z = 1 pack-year (7,300 cigarettes), the calculated brand-average incremental lifetime cancer risk ILCR(1)(acetaldehyde) values are R, 6 x 10(-5); Lt, 5 x 10(-5); and ULt, 3 x 10(-5) (cf. typical U.S. EPA risk benchmark of 10(-6)). These values are similar, especially given the tendency of smokers to "compensate" when smoking Lt and ULt cigarettes. ILCR(1)(subSigma-lung) is the brand-average per pack-year subtotal risk for the measured human lung carcinogens. Using CSF set I, the ILCR(1)(subSigma-lung) values for R, Lt, and ULt cigarettes account for