School of Public Health
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Note: Prior to July 1, 2007, the School of Public Health was named the College of Health & Human Performance.
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Item Mentholation affects the cigarette microbiota by selecting for bacteria resistant to harsh environmental conditions and selecting against potential bacterial pathogens(Springer Nature, 2017-02-15) Chopyk, Jessica; Chattopadhyay, Suhana; Kulkarni, Prachi; Claye, Emma; Babik, Kelsey R.; Reid, Molly C.; Smyth, Eoghan M.; Hittle, Lauren E.; Paulson, Joseph N.; Cruz-Cano, Raul; Pop, Mihai; Buehler, Stephanie S.; Clark, Pamela I.; Sapkota, Amy R.; Mongodin, Emmanuel F.There is a paucity of data regarding the microbial constituents of tobacco products and their impacts on public health. Moreover, there has been no comparative characterization performed on the bacterial microbiota associated with the addition of menthol, an additive that has been used by tobacco manufacturers for nearly a century. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted bacterial community profiling on tobacco from user- and custom-mentholated/non-mentholated cigarette pairs, as well as a commercially-mentholated product. Total genomic DNA was extracted using a multi-step enzymatic and mechanical lysis protocol followed by PCR amplification of the V3-V4 hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA gene from five cigarette products (18 cigarettes per product for a total of 90 samples): Camel Crush, user-mentholated Camel Crush, Camel Kings, custom-mentholated Camel Kings, and Newport Menthols. Sequencing was performed on the Illumina MiSeq platform and sequences were processed using the Quantitative Insights Into Microbial Ecology (QIIME) software package. In all products, Pseudomonas was the most abundant genera and included Pseudomonas oryzihabitans and Pseudomonas putida, regardless of mentholation status. However, further comparative analysis of the five products revealed significant differences in the bacterial compositions across products. Bacterial community richness was higher among non-mentholated products compared to those that were mentholated, particularly those that were custom-mentholated. In addition, mentholation appeared to be correlated with a reduction in potential human bacterial pathogens and an increase in bacterial species resistant to harsh environmental conditions. Taken together, these data provide preliminary evidence that the mentholation of commercially available cigarettes can impact the bacterial community of these products.Item Menthol Tobacco Sales Restrictions at the Local Level: Community Perceptions, Lessons Learned, and Policy Evaluation(2019) D'Silva, Joanne; Fryer, Craig S.; Public and Community Health; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Menthol cigarettes are a significant public health concern. While sales of regular cigarettes have declined in recent years, menthol cigarette sales are increasing. Known for their minty taste and cooling effects, menthol cigarettes are a starter product for youth. The tobacco industry has a long history of predatory marketing to African Americans, who are more likely to smoke menthol cigarettes, have lower quit rates, and experience higher tobacco-related mortality than white smokers. Because flavored cigarettes are appealing to youth, the 2009 Tobacco Control Act banned the sale of flavored cigarettes; however, menthol was exempted. Due to federal inaction on menthol, localities are enacting restrictions to address this social justice issue. In 2017, Minneapolis, Minnesota was among the first U.S. jurisdictions to restrict menthol sales to tobacco shops and liquor stores. Grounded in the Social Ecological Model, this dissertation utilized multiple methods to increase our understanding of the experience and impact of the Minneapolis menthol policy. Study 1 examined African American adult smoker perceptions and found that many menthol smokers perceived menthol to be as harmful or more harmful than non-menthol cigarettes and emphasized the role of tobacco industry targeting to African American communities and youth. Participants also indicated mixed support for menthol policy restrictions. Study 2 identified key factors that led to policy passage and included an in-depth assessment of critical steps in policy-making from policy formulation through adoption. The active engagement of youth and support of members of communities most impacted by menthol tobacco-related disparities were identified as critical to the policy’s successful adoption. Study 3 evaluated the impact of the menthol policy on the retail environment and found reduced menthol availability and decreased menthol marketing at the point-of-sale two months following policy implementation. Unintended consequences of the policy were also observed; two tobacco shops were added to convenience stores and continued to sell menthol tobacco. Results from these studies provide critical insights from several phases of the policy process. Findings can inform other jurisdictions around the country interested in pursuing menthol restrictions to reduce the burden of tobacco use and advance health equity for priority populations.