Human cigarette smoking: effects of puff and inhalation parameters on smoke exposure

This study determined effects of three smoking behavior components: puff volume, inhalation volume and lung exposure duration on biological measures of smoke exposure. A microcomputer-based auditory feedback system allowed subjects (N = 9 or 10 per experiment) to control puff and inhalation parameters as they smoked usual brand cigarettes. In each of four experiments, one smoking parameter was manipulated across sessions while two other parameters were held constant. Biological samples were obtained before and after each 8-puff smoking session conducted under a given set of behavioral parameters for analysis of plasma nicotine and expired air carbon monoxide (CO) levels. In Experiment I, both nicotine and CO levels were influenced systematically as puff volume was varied from 15 to 60 ml (inhalation volume = 50% of vital capacity, lung exposure time = about 9 sec). Nicotine boost (post- minus presession levels) increased 4-fold and CO boost increased 9-fold over this range of puff volume values. In Experiment II, nicotine levels were unaffected when average lung exposure times varied from 5 to 21 sec (puff volume = 50 ml, inhalation volume = 50% of vital capacity), suggesting that all the nicotine available may be absorbed during a normal smoking inhalation cycle with no breathholding. CO levels increased systematically with longer breathholds. In Experiments III and IV, inhalation volumes from 10% and 20% to 60% of vital capacity had no effect on either nicotine or CO levels, and this was true whether lung exposure time was about 8 sec (Experiment III) or about 4 sec (Experiment IV). This series of studies has shown that puff volume is an important determinant of tobacco smoke exposure, but that inhalation components of smoking behavior, at least within the range of parameters tested, have no effect on nicotine exposure levels.