Objective in vivo analysis of anti-smoking cigarette filters

Abstract

Cigarette filters have been introduced to reduce inhaled smoke and also as a means of breaking the smoking habit. Twelve volunteers smoked cigarettes through four ventilated anti-smoking filters (MD-4, Miles Laboratories) and one reference cigarette without an anti-smoking filter in a single-blind, crossover manner. The amount of smoke inhaled was monitored by a radiotracer technique using the isotope 81mkrypton. Compared to the reference cigarette the amount of isotope reaching the lung was reduced to 76%, 63%, 43%, and 37% for filters 1 to 4, respectively, which was less than the reduction to 70%, 40%, 30%, and 20% predicted by the manufacturers. In the case of filters 2, 3, and 4, the observed reductions in isotope inhalation were significant (p ≤ 0.01) but were also significantly less (p ≤ 0.01) than the manufacturers' predictions.