The nicotine market: An attempt to estimate the nicotine intake from various sources and the total nicotine consumption in some countries

Abstract

Tobacco—particularly smoked products—has been associated with great harm and growing public disapproval and can be expected to suffer in the marketplace. This situation has created opportunities for other less harmful nicotine-containing products such as smokeless tobacco and nicotine replacement products, which are gaining public support. Little is known about the level of nicotine intake in our society. Tobacco sales are known, but how much nicotine is extracted and actually absorbed by users is largely unknown. The present study is a first attempt to estimate uptake of nicotine from tobacco and nicotine replacement products and to map nicotine consumption in a few countries, with special emphasis on Sweden. Relevant pharmacokinetic studies for three types of nicotine-containing products (cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and nicotine replacement products) were analyzed for bioavailable nicotine. Estimates of nicotine intake from each category were made. These were then multiplied by the amount consumed in the respective countries. Tobacco consumption statistics were usually from official records of taxed sales. In Sweden about 54% of all nicotine intake comes from smoked sources, 45% from nonsmoked tobacco, and 1.3% from nicotine replacement products. For men, 63% of the nicotine consumed comes from nonsmoked tobacco. Per-capita nicotine intake per year for adults aged 15 years or older is 3,321 mg for Austria, 3,043 mg for Sweden, 3,014 mg for Denmark, 2,955 mg for the United States, 2,244 mg for Norway, and 2,023 mg for Finland. Compared with cigarette smokers, snus users seem to have a somewhat higher daily intake (34 mg vs. 25 mg). The cleanest nicotine products, nicotine replacement products, represent a negligible part (about 1%) of the total nicotine consumption in most countries.