Chemical studies on tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines in the smoke of selected cigarettes from the U.S.A., West Germany, and France.

Studies on the variations of biologically important smoke constituents of popular cigarettes in several European countries and in the United States include investigations on the types and levels of volatile (VNA) and tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNA). GLC-TEA and HPLC-TEA methods are used to determine the VNA and TSNA in mainstream and sidestream smoke of cigarettes. This report presents data on the smoke of some West German cigarettes which demonstrate that the VNA levels are about the same as those in the smoke of U.S. cigarettes; but that they are lower than those in the smoke of French cigarettes, made of dark tobacco types. The tobacco-specific nonvolatile N-nitrosamines determined in the mainstream smoke of commercial U.S. blended cigarettes (N-nitrosoanatabine, N-nitrosonornicotine and 4-(N-methyl-N-nitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone together) ranged from 680 to 830 ng per cigarette, while those for commercial West German products ranged from 340 to 780 ng per cigarette in nonfilter brands and from 180 to 450 ng in filter-tipped cigarettes. The analyzed French products contained 1010 to 1380 ng of these compounds in the smoke of each cigarette.