The Fate of Chlorpyrifos on Tobacco during Smoking

Cigarettes made from flue-cured tobacco, treated with different amounts of chlorpyrifos, were smoked according to Federal Trade Commission specifications, and the chlorpyrifos levels in the butts, various ashes, and mainstream and sidestream smokes were determined. Of all the chlorpyrifos in a cigarette, 28 % to 29.5 % was left in the butts, 13.5 % to 15 % and 2.0 % to 4.6 % were transferred into mainstream and sidestream smokes, respectively, and about 52 % to 55 % was either combusted or decomposed into unknown fragments. The various ashes did not show any detectable amount of chlorpyrifos.