The Role of Carbon Monoxide in Cigarette Smoking

Abstract

• The carbon monoxide deliveries of 20 major Canadian brands of cigarettes, determined by gas chromatography and using standard smoking conditions, were estimated and found to vary by a factor of about two. The CO yields were found to increase with puff volume and tobacco moisture, decrease with increased paper porosity, but remain essentially constant with puff duration.

The data suggest that reduced CO deliveries can be achieved by increasing the cigarette paper porosity. Combustion temperature presumably also influences CO deliveries, but the relative role ascribed to dilution and combustion is not clear. It may be concluded that smokers can lower their CO exposure by reducing their puff volume, smoking cigarettes manufactured from high porosity paper, by taking fewer puffs, and decreasing their tendency to inhale.

Since CO and tar deliveries are correlated, these measures would also tend to decrease a smoker’s exposure to tar.