British American Tobacco Group R&D

British American Tobacco Group R&D is pleased to be a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry Partnership Programme. Chemical sciences are fundamental to the delivery of our research programmes – from improving our knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of cigarette components that contribute to the potential reduction of toxicant exposure, through the better identification and measurement of tobacco smoke components to identifying robust biomarkers of tobacco smoke toxicant exposure.

Their researchers apply many physical and chemical testing techniques to characterise each element of the construction of a cigarette - including the tobacco blend, the cigarette paper and the filter – and to identify opportunities to minimise the toxicants in smoke either by restricting their formation or by reducing their amounts once formed.

Tobacco smoke is a complex aerosol containing over 8000 substances. To identify and measure potentially harmful chemicals in such mixtures is highly challenging and requires diverse analytical techniques, some of which are developed in-house or in collaboration with other researchers. It is important to utilise standardised and validated analytical techniques to collect, separate and measure key toxicants using test conditions relevant to human smoking. Their research includes collaborative trials to determine the reproducibility of analytical methods.

BAT research on smokeless tobacco products such as snuff includes chemical and toxicological characterisation and biochemical analysis, for example the potential transfer of toxicants. Chemical measurement techniques are applied to support in vitro biological, effect-based testing of Potential Reduced-Exposure Products (as defined by the US National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine [1]), and for dose confirmation in regulatory toxicological assays. They also collaborate with other researchers in the development of bioanalytical methods to identify and utilise biomarkers of toxicant exposure in human clinical trials. British American Tobacco Group R&D recognises the impact and value of chemistry in its research and is committed to supporting the continuing professional development of its scientists.

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[1] Clearing the Smoke: The Science Base for Tobacco Harm Reduction, National Academy of Sciences 2001