title: Variations in nicotine yields between single cigarettes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It is beyond any doubt that nicotine yield in cigarettes as determined using standard ISO method bears almost no relation to smokers' actual intake. However, the ISO method is still in use in many countries where the government is responsible for controlling and monitoring cigarette quality. The aim of the study was to measure the nicotine yield in single cigarettes and to evaluate their statistical distribution among the same brand.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nicotine yields were measured according to the ISO method in single cigarettes of the twenty most popular Polish brands of cigarettes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Relative standard deviation of nicotine yields in single cigarettes of the same brands varied from 16% to 34%. Relative differences between nicotine yields in a single cigarette of a particular brand and the mean value varied from -65% to +76%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate high variation in nicotine yields between cigarettes of the same brand. Such variation might affect compensatory smoking. This provides another reason why yields estimated using the standard ISO method are potentially misleading to smokers. Further studies are needed to better understand the implications of within-brand variability in yields for tobacco product regulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of General and Analytical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy and Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Silesia, Sosnowiec, Poland. m.goniewiczm@qmul.ac.uk
authors.forename: Maciej Ł
authors.initials: MŁ
authors.lastname: Goniewicz
authors.forename: Bartosz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Koszowski
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Czogała
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuma
authors.forename: Michał
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gawron
authors.forename: Leon
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kośmider
authors.forename: Jakub
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Knysak
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sobczak
mesh_terms: D009538:Nicotine / Q000032:analysis*; D012907:Smoking; D014026:Nicotiana
chemical_list: D009538:Nicotine