Influence of smoking parameters on the delivery of tobacco-specific nitrosamines in cigarette smoke--a contribution to relative risk evaluation.

The influence of the smoking parameters (puff profile, puff duration, puff volume, puff frequency) on the delivery of tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) in mainstream smoke was investigated for six different cigarette brands, including filter cigarettes with very low to medium smoke yields and non-filter cigarettes with high and very high smoke yields. The puff profile did not influence the TSNA yields. The puff duration also had no remarkable influence on the TSNA delivery with the exception of a non-filter cigarette made of dark tobaccos. The puff volume and the puff frequency significantly influenced the TSNA yields. Increasing puff volume and frequency resulted in increasing TSNA values. The total volume drawn through a cigarette was calculated. The dependency of the TSNA delivery on the total volume was almost linear at least up to a total volume of approximately 500 ml/cigarette. The TSNA yield was the same for the same total volume no matter whether the total volume was due to a changing puff volume or a changing puff frequency. The total volume drawn through a cigarette is the main responsible factor for the TSNA delivery in mainstream smoke. Total volume data from smokers of low- and medium-tar cigarettes are used to calculate TSNA intake. The different smoking behaviour observed for smokers of low-tar and low-nicotine cigarettes as compared to standard smoking conditions is discussed with respect to the TSNA dependency on smoke parameters.