Human smoking patterns and smoke deliveries.

This study, based on a sample (N = 517) of adult medical patients at a southeastern medical center who were current users of cigarettes, reports the interrelationships among the puff characteristics of cigarette smoking behavior and smoke deliveries of tar and nicotine. Average puff duration, average puff volume, and the number of puffs were found to be significantly positively correlated with daily tar and nicotine intake. Intervals between puffs and total time smoking were not correlated with nicotine and tar intake. It was concluded that "how" a person smokes affects "how much" this person is exposed to tar and nicotine.