Abstract
The yields of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined from cigarette mainstream smoke condensate extracts using Gas Chromatography- Tandem Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The method has been validated for ISO and Health Canada Intense (HCI) smoking protocols. Quantifiable levels (ISO means 0.16 to 365 ng/cig; HCI means 0.33 to 1595 ng/cig; n = 30) of 15 PAHs were found in the Kentucky reference cigarette K3R4F. The coefficient of variance (CV) was derived from ten determinations each run in triplicate. The CV range was 8.7% to 24.8% (ISO) and 6.6% to 24.3% (HCI). The limit of detection (LOD) based on empirical precision was ≤ 0.06 ng/cig (ISO) and ≤ 0.20 ng/cig (HCI) for all components except naphthalene (2.89 and 9.62 ng/cig, respectively). The yields from 5 unspecified branded cigarettes (Samples A-E) and 2 other reference cigarettes, K1R5F and the CORESTA monitor CM7, were determined under ISO smoking conditions. The same 15 PAHs were detected as in the K3R4F; however, cigarettes with lower yields of total particulate matter (TPM) were found to contain significantly less PAHs. One component was measured below the limit of quantification (LOQ) in Sample E and 2 components were < LOQ in the K1R5F.