778 



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REGULATORY TOXICOLOGY AND PHARMACOUXJY S, 314-326 (1985) 



Analytical Cigarette Yields as Predictors of Smoke Bioavailability' 



GlO B. GORI AND CORNEUUS J. LYNCH 



The Franklin Insiiiuie. Poiicy AnaJysa Center. 4701 Willard Avenue. Chevy Chase. Maryland 20815 



Received Apnl 26. 1985 



The smoke intake of 865 undisturbed smoken of over 10 cigarettes per day was measured 

 using plasma nicotine and cotinine, and expired carbon moooxide (CO) as nrurken. WhDe nicotine 

 yields, according to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) analytical standards, varied 16-foid from 

 0.1 to 16 mg/cigarette. the corresponding plasma nicotine values varied from around 25 to 45 

 n^/ml, and estimated mean nicotine intake of smokers varied from around 0.75 to 1 .25 mg/ 

 cigarette. Expired CO and plasma cotinine values also varied in similar proportion, but mean 

 daily cigarette consumption was independent of the FTC nicoiinc yield of the cigarettes smoked. 

 The results indicate that pharmacodynamic satiation causes behavioral regulatioo, and thai smoken 

 of very high yield brands compensate downward, and vice versa. The ratio of tar yield to nicotine 

 yield usually increases with increasing tar yield; therefore tar intake is likely to increase at higher 

 tar yields, even though the increment of nicotine intake is small. It follows that FTC analytical 

 determinatjotts are poor predictors of relative intake of oicotine, CO, or tar, while rankings based 

 on mean tar-to-nicotinc ratio of a brand's smoke could be more meaningful Moreover, the 

 considerable variation of individual smoking behavior suggests that precise numerical rankings 

 of cigarettes are not justified. An analogic ranking of cigarettes into a few broad classes would 

 better reflect the realities and expectations of average consumers, e i«5 Academe i 



INTRODUCTION 



In the United States, cigarette yields are determined by the Federal Trade Com- 

 mission (FTQ according to standard procedures similar to methods used in other 

 countries (30). The results of such tests do not represent the full behavioral range of 

 individual smokers; as the FTC itself recognized, they simply indicate the relative 

 yield position of brands according to a convention of analytical standards, but not 

 actual conditions of smoke puffing or intake (13). While the prolonged public use of 

 FTC ratings has fostered the belief that these values predict intake, several reports 

 have challenged this belief, suggesting that official ranking methods may not offer 

 reliable information to consumers (3, 7. 9, 12, 16, 27, 34, 35). The present study was 



' Ptliminary rcsultsof this study were first presented at the 21$t Annual Meeting of the American College 

 of ^•^uropsychopharmacology, San Juan. PR.. December 15-17. 1982. 



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