Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph No. 7 
Table 1 
Studies that assessed smoking topography across different cigarette yields, using commercially 
available cigarettes 
Low-High 
Nicotine 
Yield 
(mg) 
Puff Volume 
Puff Number 
Reference 
Number 
Low 
Yield 
High 
Yield 
p Value 
Low 
Yield 
High 
Yield 
p Value 
Bridges et al., 1986 
5 vs. 65^ 
0.3-1. 1 
85.4 
52.2 
0.05 
13.2 
10.6 
ns 
Woodman et al., 1987 
10 
0.6-1. 4 
59.5 
43.6 
0.05 
14.0 
12.1 
ns 
Zacny and Stitzer, 1988 
10 
0.1-1. 1 
64.7 
52.4 
0.05 
11.3 
12.9 
ns 
Nil and Battig, 1989 
15 
0.5-0.8 
25.7 
26.6 
ns 
17.5 
13.7 
0.05 
Hofer et al., 1991 
36^ 
0.1-1.2 
44.5 
36.8 
0.05 
15.6 
11.1 
0.05 
Kolonen et al., 1991 
10 
0.4-0.9 
76.9 
64.6 
0.05 
18.7 
14.4 
ns 
Kolonen et al., 1992 
8 
0.3-1. 0 
35.6 
29.5 
0.05 
18.5 
12.9 
0.05 
Mean 
Range 
56.0 
25.7-85.4 
43.7 
26.6-64.6 
15.5 
11.3-18.7 
12.5 
10.6-14.4 
® Cross-sectional study; the sample size in these studies represents each group of smokers studied within a yield 
category. 
Note: All studies were conducted with filtered, commercial brand cigarettes: low-yield brands were all ventilated and 
ranged in nicotine yield from 0. 1 to 0.6 mg, and high-yield brands were all unventilated and ranged in nicotine 
yield from 0.8 to 1.4 mg. 
Key: ns = not significant. 
topography is dynamic and changes in response to several factors, including 
yield characteristics of the cigarette. 
DOES THE FTC 
METHOD 
ACCURATELY 
REFLECT 
HUMAN 
SMOKING 
PATTERNS? 
The FTC machine takes 2-second, 35-mL puffs every minute until 
a certain point has been reached along the length of the cigarette (i.e., 
filter overwrap plus 3 mm). The length of the cigarette plays a large 
role in how many puffs are taken by the smoking machine, although 
porosity of the cigarette paper and tobacco burn rate also play roles. 
How does the FFC method of smoking compare with how humans 
smoke cigarettes? A table in the 1988 Surgeon General's Report on 
smoking (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1988) summarizes 
results from 32 studies that assessed ad libitum human smoking topography. 
Fable 2 lists the average values, along with the range of puffing parameters 
observed in each study. Average puff duration across the 32 studies was 
1.8 seconds, which is fairly close to the smoking machine value. Human 
puff volumes tend to be larger than the 35 ml. used in standard FTC smoking 
machine assays. The biggest difference between human and FTC machine 
smoking parameters was in the rate of puffing. The average interpuff interval 
in the human studies was 34 seconds, whereas FTC testing used a 60-second 
interval. Fhus, humans took [)uffs at nearly twice the rate of smoking 
154 
