Estimating consumption of nicotine containing products across Pacific Rim Countries through wastewater analysis

Tobacco and nicotine-containing products (NCPs), including heated tobacco products, e-cigarettes, and oral nicotine pouches, are used widely across Pacific Rim countries despite substantial differences in regulatory approaches. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) provides an objective measure of nicotine use at the population level and can be used to assess changes associated with tobacco control policies.

This research applies analytical methods for measuring nicotine metabolites and tobacco-specific alkaloids to wastewater samples collected in New Zealand, Japan, and Australia to examine changes in tobacco and nicotine consumption over time. The study includes both community and institutional populations and generates evidence that can support the evaluation of tobacco control measures across different regulatory settings. This research also establishes a chiral LC-MS/MS method for the determination of R- and S-nicotine and cotinine enantiomers, allowing tobacco-derived nicotine to be differentiated from synthetic nicotine sources. The method will provide a platform for future investigations of nicotine sources in e-cigarette liquids, oral nicotine pouches, and wastewater samples collected across Pacific Rim countries.

Please note this is a PhD candidate progress review presentation by Jianglu Zhao.