Composition Studies on Tobacco: XLV. Use of Cigarette Additives to Alter the Composition and Reducing Properties of Cigarette Smoke

The reducing potential of fresh cigarette smoke can be modified by the use of certain oxidants and reductants. The influence of these additives on smoke may be monitored by employing a system which measures changes in EMF on a puff by puff basis. The addition of the oxidant 1,4-benzoquinone to tobacco eliminates the rapid reduction in potential which normally takes place when an untreated cigarette is smoked. The addition of the benzoquinone alters the composition of the smoke by increasing the levels of the total particulate matter and possibly the phenols, while decreasing the nicotine content without affecting the amount of benzo[a]pyrene formed. The addition of sodium thiosulfate to tobacco causes a significant increase in the reducing capacity of cigarette smoke. It also brings about increases in the smoke BAP, phenols and TPM. The level of nicotine in these cigarettes, however, is lowered.