Investigations of cigarette smoke dosages in inhalation experiments with Syrian hamsters. I. Concentration of cigarette smoke in the inhalation chamber and of carbon monoxide in the blood.

We tested 20 different smoke inhalation machines and determined that 60% of the gas phase and 40% of the total paritulate matter reached the inhalation chamber; the remainder was lost in the exhaust gases. After determining these concentration percentages, we were able to calculate precisely the dosage of each puff of smoke administered to Syrian hamsters in our smoking machine. We also determined that the CO-Hb content in the blood of the hamsters rose to 60%; this CO-Hb value was a limiting factor for time of exposure to smoke, since too-high concentrations of CO-Hb would have killed the animals. On the basis of these results, we concluded that the animals should be exposed as long as possible to attain a high dose of smoke, but because of toxic effects the exposure time should not exceed 20 minutes, and the CO-Hb content should not exceed 60%.