minutes Si-_ Aeetiri-,
Hamburg Ma, 25-27 1987
Those Present
,~jsqj~csent
(part-time)
Dr R E Thornton
Dr S Boyse
Dr G Smith
Herr E Koehn
Dr ;;* Seehofer
Dr C J P de Siqueira
Dr S .4assey
~Ir R Bexon
.11rR P Ferris
_11r Hulemann
Dr D Pangritz
Dr F Knabjohann
Fxternal
Participation: Dr G Gori
Prof Pavlik
Prof J A Gray
Prof J von Troschke
Dr T Yanagita
- BATCo Chairman
- HATCo
- aATUKE
- BA11CF
- BATCF
- Souza Cruz
- Imperial, Canada
- Imperial, Canada.
- SATUKE
- RATCF
- BATICF
- BATCF
- Consultants
-
-
- I Speakers
- )
1/2 Professor J von Troschke: Psvchcs=ial
conditions of smoking be?aviolir
and of other consumer Products
Professor von rroschke has carried out attitude
surveys amongst
smokers for the Forschungsrat. -Iriis had been
done by questionnaire.
In -ie,.; of the increasing pressures on smoking
Professor van Troschke
had investigated the various aspects of: 'Imhy do
smokers smoke" He
believed that motivation was mui~_`_- factorial,
and that there -as a
trade-off between immediate advanzages and
perceived "risks- which
were on a much longer time scale. -Advantages"
were said to include
social recognition and coping wi:h daily
behaviour.
Social pressure arose from a vocal minority of the
medical profession,
the ecological movement and the stance of
governments, particuiarly on
taxation. Passive smoking had become a major issue
of social
acceptability even though the arguments were
equivocal. Public
perception of the risks of nuclear energy
(Chernobyl) and AIDS were
likely to alter their perception of the claimed
"risks" of smoking.
The tobacco industry had largely kept out of the
smoking debate and
was perceived as having abandoned the market.
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3/4 Dr T Yanagi-: Psvchopharmacological and
Toxicoiogical Studies on
Nicotine and Smoking in Rh~sus MqDKELys
Dr Yanagita presented data from a variety of
studies designed to
assess The "abuse potential" of nicotine in
comparison with drugs
presumed to produce dependence. Monkeys could be
trained to press a
lever in a cage to self-administer intravenous
nicotine. However,
they, -ere prepared to work considerably less for
nicotine (ie they
would press the lever a smaller number of times
before receiving a
nicotine injection) than for cocaine. Monkeys that
had been trained
to discriminate nicotine from saline (ie to press
one lever when
injected with saline) also pressed the nicotine
lever when injected
with cocaine, amphetamine, morphine, diazepam
(valium), lobeline (a
nicotine-like drue) and ethanol. However, although
such studies might
normally be interpreted as showing similar
subjective effects of these
drugs, Dr Yanagita, had not included the
appropriate controls to allow
such an assumption to be made. After withdrawal
from chronic
treatment with nicotine, no observable "withdrawal
symptoms" were
noted.
Dr Vanagita had managed to persuade 2 out of 14
monkeys to voluntarily
"smoke cigarettes" for several years. Smoking
resulted in elevation
of heart rate and blood pressure and suppressed
motility in the
intestine. No observable toxicological effects of
chronic nicotine or
smoking were described. For more details, see
Appendix I.
3/6 erofeqgqr I -k Ura,: ffie role of brain
cholinergic s,stems is memory
Prof. Gray ga,.-e a general ov~erview of the
concept of a
neurotransmitter, and discussed the neuroanatomy
of the brain pathways
using acetylcholine and dopamine as their
neurotransmitters - these
two being the neurotransmitters implicated in
neuro-degenerative
diseases such as Parkinsons' Disease and Senile
Dementia of the
Alzheimer's Type (SDAT). In a series of animal
studies, Prof. Gray
has studied the roie of brain cholinergic systems
in learning and
memory, and has found that widespread destruction
of cholinergic
pathways is necessary to produce a memory deficit
comparable to that
deserved in SDAT. Cholinergic pathways are also
imDlicated in animal
models of memory loss induced by excess alcohol
consumption.
Cholinergic replacement therapy in SDAT was
discussed and Prof Gray
reported that several SDAT patients (in a project
funded by BAT) had
considerably improved information processing
abilities as a result of
a single nicotine injection. Prof. Gray then
briefly discussed some
work on nicotine and dopamine levels, with
relevance to Parkinson's
Disease, funded by R J Reynolds Co.
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7/8 Dr Gio Gori: Positive aspects of smoking
While some epidemiologists claimed that 90% of
lung cancer deaths
could be attributed to smoking, other factors were
associated with the
disease and smoking was negati,-ely associated
with other diseases.
It was therefore worth re-evaluating the
statistical associations.
Positi%-e associations had been claimed for
neuro-degenerative diseases
(as discussed by Prof Gray) , ulcerative colitis,
colon cancer. and
endometrial cancer and breast cancer in women.
In addition, some recent epidemiological studies
had not found an
association between smoking and heart disease.
Smokers generally had
been claimed to have lower baseline blood pressure
than non-smokers
and weight differences had been noted.
Subject to substantive papers being identified an
attempt is be:,-ng
made to quantify these associations.
9. Bob Sexon: Consumer P-5trcqp~.kpn of Smoking
ssues
Canada has often been considered to be second to
Norway in its
militancy on smoking issues. The market has been
declining since 1982
at the rate of about 5% a year. Through the use of
questionnaires a
survey had been carried out to establish what
Canadians think about
smoking issues. The survey showed that they
believe that smoking is
associated with a wide range of diseases. However,
even if the
associarion of smoking and disease were eventually
shown not to be
causal, the problem of social unacceptability
would remain.
In many other respects smokers were disadvantaged
in comparison to
nonsmckers eg they were seen as child li-k-e.
Quitters -ere seer, in a
ver, favourable light, being perceived as having
some additional
strengths compared even to nonsmokers. 21% of
smokers would accept
even higher taxation. By and large smokers saw
themselves living in a
climate of disapproval. In discussion there was a
consensus or
opinion that the issue of social acceptability
derived almost entirely
from smoking and health issues, and in particular
the issue of passive
smoking.
Conceptually, while social acceptability and
smoking and health could
be separated. social acceptability was only likely
to be affected by
changing attitudes ultimately deriving from
changes in the perceived
relationship between smoking and health.
lbe group accepted that the introduction of a
strategy to address
these issues wouid be required, and views from
BATCF were discussed
will be circulated shortly.
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10. After the discussion of the position in the
countries represented,
four areas of possible scientific research related
to social
acceptability -ere identified:
1. Primar- smoking and health issues
2. "Passive" smoking or environmental tobacco
smoke (ETS)
3. Effects of smoking (with especial reference to
nicotine)
4. "Other noxae"
The group identified work related to passive
smoking as having the
highest priority and recommend the following
feasibility projects
which should help determine whether further work
is required in
addition to the substantial amount being funded
worldwide.
a) P N Lee to be asked to comment on the
possibility of carrying out
studies to look at the correlation between
specific illnesses and
exposure to ETS in normal situations
b) Survev of the role of ETS in general air
contamination (worker to
be decided)
C) Literature survey to be carried out on state of
knowledge of
nicotine in relation to other compounds in ETS (to
be carried out
be RAILKE) -
(F-Msting work within BATY--o. eg activities in
relation to low risk
epidemiology were noted and taken into account in
consideration of the
above work programme).
.Additional work areas relating to "mainstream"
smoking were not
identified.
Work relating to the other topics is discussed
under the next two
headings.
12. A variety of preliminary proposals regarding
scientific projects that
RAT might be prepared to fund were discussed.
Strong priority was
given to the proposal put forward by Dr Ian
Hindmarch on potential
beneficial aspects of nicotine and of smoking on
performance, learning
and memory and other physiological measures. Dr
Hindmarch would be
asked to produce a more detailed research proposal
which would be
circulated to SRG members for their comments. It
was decided that the
work of Professors Costall and Naylor, Dr Strange
and Dr Elithorn were
of relati,ely low priority and -ould not be
supported. A report on
the work currently supported by BAMIKE with Prof
Gale was circulated;
in the future Prof Gale might be a suitable person
to carry out work
funded by the SRG.
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13. Documents were circulated relating to
epidemiological studies or. th
'ble association between smoking and
neuro-degenerative disorders.
poss.
1 he evidence for an association between smoking
and Parkinson's
Disease was quite sound; this was not the case for
smoking and
-*dzheimer's Disease, but further epidemiological
research -as being
carri-ea out by Prof Levy at the Institute of
Psvchiatry, London, and
by Dr N Sarclay in New York i funded by the M).
A discussion document on smoking. nicotine, and
theories of addiction
,,as clrc~-ateu. Ibis would be discussed at the
next meeting of tne
SRG -
14. The Possibility that the probiem of monitoring
the scientific
ii'.~erature could be facilitated by inter-group
collaboration was
raised.
1 r was decided that the available facilities
would be made known to
members at the next meeting of the SRG, and the
extent to which
existing resources are adequate to meet the
current demand could be
discussed.
15. Other Noxae
The paper "Prioritization of the Noxae on the
Basis of TLV's- was
discussed. After consideration of the background
to this paper it: ---is
ce-c-,aea z..nat a final revised version of the
above document be prepared
within the next four weeks. Any final comments
would be required b~
Juiy 15. This would include all compounds that had
been identified by
regulatory authorities, in the scientific
literature and by
consultancs. The paper would indicate any
assumptions made in
considering these compounds and, of course,
compounds that were below
any threshold would need to be re-evaluated from
time to time. fhere
were a wide variety of opinions on the strategy
associated with --;, i s
.Crk. Memoers were asked to discuss this with
their colleagues cn the
Researcr, Policy Group.
16. Some work an passive smoking carried out by
the Verband der
Cigarettenindustrie was briefly reported.
Epidemiology, animal
experiments, and analysis of mainstream and
sidestream smoke were
subjects under investigation. Some of this work
has been published;
further information on work still in progress
would be providead tc SRG,
members. The proposed paper on "Crther Noxae"
would form a
re-cconp-ndation to the Research Policy Group.
The budget was discussed; it was suggested that
each company (BATOo,
Australia. Canada, USA and Germany) should
contribute E,50,000 to tine
current budget (I Jan 1987 - 31 Dec 1987). For
subsequent years
additional funding would be required and a
budgetary figure of
ilOO.000 Tas suggested to cover the possibilities
of new projecza.
particularly in the area of environmental tobacco
smoke.
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18. The proposed locations for the next meetings
of the SRG -ere suggested
as follows:
November 2-4 1987: Canada
March 1988: Lngland
June 1988: Brazil
The next meeting would concentrate on the
following areas: a review of
work being funded by the industry world-wide; a
discussion of RAT's
research strategy and a further discussion on
projects associated with
passive smoking. Suggestion for speakers: someone
from the CTR to
discuss the research projects which they are
funding; Dr Verner Knott
from the Royal Cttawa Hospital, and a speaker on
indoor air quality
from Canada.
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BATCo document for Province of British Columbia 28
October 1999