A recent study, supported by Khyber Medical University and the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR), has analyzed the chemical composition of Naswar, a popular smokeless tobacco used in Pakistan.

The study found that Naswar contains harmful substances such as nicotine, heavy metals, and aflatoxins. These substances are known to be toxic and can cause cancer.

Due to these troubling findings, researchers have called for immediate action to implement Smoke Less Tobacco Control policies in Pakistan. These measures aim to reduce Naswar use and protect public health.

The study covered all seven divisions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa—Peshawar, Mardan, Hazara, Kohat, DI Khan, Bannu, and Malakand. It analyzed 14 popular Naswar brands, with two brands collected from each division.

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Dr. Shahzad, the study supervisor, stated that the research aimed to examine the components of the most widely consumed Naswar brands in the region.

A study in Peshawar revealed that approximately 60% of tobacco users in the city consume Naswar. Researchers used GC-MS analysis to identify 85 different chemical compounds in Naswar samples, with nicotine being the most prevalent and found in all samples.

The study found that the highest nicotine content in Naswar was 97% in the N-Hexane extract, while the lowest was 26.1% in the ethanolic extract.

Out of 85 identified compounds, 23 are harmful to health. Most hazardous compounds belong to the carboxylic (e.g., cotinine) and polyaromatic (e.g., benzoic acid) groups. Urea, N,N-diethyl-, was the major harmful compound, found in 8 samples ranging from 1.64% to 9.78%.

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