title: Method for the Determination of Ammonia in Mainstream Cigarette Smoke Using Ion Chromatography.
abstract: Ammonia in mainstream smoke is present in both the particulate and vapor phases. The presence of ammonia in the cigarette filler material and smoke is of significance because of the potential role ammonia could have in raising the "smoke pH." An increased smoke pH could shift a fraction of total nicotine to free-base nicotine, which is reportedly more rapidly absorbed by the smoker. Methods measuring ammonia in smoke typically employ acid filled impingers to trap the smoke. We developed a fast, reliable method to measure ammonia in mainstream smoke without the use of costly and time consuming impingers to examine differences in ammonia delivery. The method uses both a Cambridge filter pad and a Tedlar bag to capture particulate and vapor phases of the smoke. We quantified ammonia levels in the mainstream smoke of 50 cigarette brands from 5 manufacturers. Ammonia levels ranged from approximately 1μg to 23μg per cigarette for ISO smoking conditions and 38μg to 67μg per cigarette for Canadian intense smoking conditions and statistically significance differences were observed between brands and manufacturers. Our findings suggest that ammonia levels vary by brand and are higher under Canadian intense smoking conditions.
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Environmental Health, Division of Laborarory Sciences, Tobacco and Volatiles Branch, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Christina Vaughan
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Environmental Health, Division of Laborarory Sciences, Tobacco and Volatiles Branch, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
authors.forename: June
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Environmental Health, Division of Laborarory Sciences, Tobacco and Volatiles Branch, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Liza
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Valentin-Blasini
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Environmental Health, Division of Laborarory Sciences, Tobacco and Volatiles Branch, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Rayman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stanelle
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Environmental Health, Division of Laborarory Sciences, Tobacco and Volatiles Branch, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Clifford H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Watson
mesh_terms: D000641:Ammonia / Q000032:analysis*; D002170:Canada; D002852:Chromatography, Ion Exchange / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D012906:Smoke / Q000032:analysis*; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D062789:Tobacco Products / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D012906:Smoke; D000641:Ammonia