Ignoring puff counts: another shortcoming of the Federal Trade Commission cigarette testing programme

Area of Science:

• Tobacco control research
• Public health policy
• Analytical chemistry

Background:

• The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) cigarette testing protocol historically aimed to measure tar and nicotine yields.
• Puff count, a key variable influencing tar delivery, has not been consistently preserved by the FTC.
• The tobacco industry recognized the significance of puff count for cigarette design and tar yield reporting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate why the FTC stopped collecting puff count data during cigarette testing.
• To highlight the importance of puff count data for accurately assessing tar yields.

Main Methods:

• Review of historical tobacco industry documents regarding the FTC testing origins.
• Analysis of datasets from the Tobacco Institute Testing Laboratory provided to the industry and FTC.

Main Results:

• The tobacco industry advocated for dual reporting of tar yields (per cigarette and per puff).
• Despite industry requests in 1967, the FTC does not maintain puff count data.
• Cigarette manufacturers routinely use puff count data in product design; 100 mm cigarettes yield 18% more puffs than 85 mm ones.

Conclusions:

• The FTC's failure to collect puff count data overlooks a critical factor for tar yield assessment.
• Standardized cigarette testing protocols must include the preservation of puff count information.
• Accurate tar and nicotine yield reporting necessitates the inclusion of puff count data.