Determination of benzene, toluene and 1,3-butadiene in cigarette smoke by GC-MDS.

An analytical procedure was devised for the determination of selected gas phase constituents in cigarette smoke utilizing capillary gas chromatography and mass selective detection (GC-MSD); the MSD was used in the selective ion monitoring mode (SIM). The gas of freshly generated mainstream smoke was analyzed via a 10-port gas sampling valve on a puff-by-puff basis. Benzene, toluene, and 1,3-butadiene were found in the range of 6-73, 5-88, and 16-75 micrograms/cigarette, respectively. The gas phase of sidestream smoke was trapped in methanol using 3 midget impingers at -78 degrees C. Benzene in sidestream smoke was found in the range of 490-840 micrograms/cigarette; toluene and 1,3-butadiene levels were 1,090-1,690 and 300-470 micrograms/cigarette, respectively. Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), sampled in a smoke-filled bar, was analyzed using the cold trap method. The concentrations of benzene and toluene in this indoor air were found to be 26-36 and 41-80 micrograms/m3, respectively, while 1,3-butadiene was present at 3.3-4.5 micrograms/m3.