The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective: The recent introduction of activated charcoal containing filters on a major name-brand cigarette has generated renewed interest as a means to reduce selected volatile organic compounds (VOC) in mainstream smoke. Inclusion of activated charcoal in cigarette filters is not a new design feature since several commercial brands that contain charcoal containing filters are already being sold in the United States, but they all have a relatively small market share. In other countries, such as Japan, activated charcoal containing cigarettes filter are more popular. The mainstream smoke delivery levels of selected compounds may be affected by this introduction of charcoal.

Methods: We measured selected physical properties and mainstream smoke mainstream smoke deliveries of tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), tobacco specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and selected phenolic compounds in the mainstream smoke from newly introduced brands and from existing brands that contain charcoal.

Results: The inclusion of charcoal in the filter resulted in a significant reduction of selected volatile chemicals in machine-generated mainstream smoke compared to the more traditional cellulose acetate filter. The amount of reduction was dependent on the type and length of filter. However, little or no reduction was observed for other harmful compounds such as benzo[a]pyrene, NNN, and NNK.