Mainstream Smoke Chemical Analyses for 2R4F Kentucky Reference Cigarette

A new reference cigarette, 2R4F, has been designed to replace the 1R4F Kentucky reference cigarette. This new cigarette has virtually the same blend composition as the 1R4F cigarette. However, the 1R4F cigarette was made in 1983 and the variation in the tobacco from crop year to crop year as well as the difference in the age of the two cigarettes were expected to generate differences in the smoke chemistry. A study done for the quantitation of more than 44 analytes in smoke, including most compounds considered as biologically active, is presented in this report. The analyses were performed by six independent laboratories using a variety of analytical techniques. The smoking was performed using International Standard (ISO) recommendations. The results showed only small differences between the two cigarettes regarding ‘tar', nicotine and carbon monoxide (CO), as well as for aminonaphthalenes, resorcinol, and some aldehydes. Although the two reference cigarettes were made as close as possible, the concentrations of a significant number of analytes in the smoke differed between 10% to 30%. Specific trace compounds in the blend such as metals and tobacco specific nitrosamines (TSNA), which may influence the smoke composition, were also different between the two cigarettes. The level of lead, in particular, was very different in tobacco between 1983 and 2002.