Effect of Cigarette Circumference on Weight Loss during Puffs and Total Delivery of Tar and Nicotine

Using cigarettes of different circumference but a constant packing density, the weight loss during a puff, Wp, and the total deliveries of tar and nicotine were measured. The results obtained can be summarized as follows: the puff count, n, and the weight loss during a puff, Wp, were nearly proportional to the radius of the cigarette. The total deliveries of tar and nicotine were closely proportional to the weight loss during puffs. Based on these results the following equations were derived:

for tar:

for nicotine:

where

T_s = amount of tar in mainstream smoke,

N_s = amount of nicotine in mainstream smoke,

W = weight of tobacco column,

L = length of tobacco column,

n_s = nicotine content (%) based on actual weight,

l_t = length of tobacco column butt,

l_f = length of filter,

µ_t = filtration coefficient of tobacco column,

µ_f = filtration coefficient of filter,

K_t / K_n experimental constants depending on blend type and others.

From these equations, the amount of tar and nicotine in mainstream smoke can easily be estimated.