SMOKERS BEHAVIOR AND EXPOSURE ACCORDING TO CIGARETTE YIELD AND SMOKING EXPERIENCE

The influence of cigarette yield and length of smoking experience on s moking behaviour and biomarker levels was sought in 108 smokers who ha ve never changed cigarette class. Smoking parameters, carboxyhaemoglob in percentage (COHb), urinary nicotine, and its metabolites, mutagens, and thioethers were measured. Cigarette yield does not affect daily c onsumption or smoke volume puffed per cigarette. But the inhalation de pth increases with decreasing cigarette yield and with length of smoki ng habit. The COHb level after the first cigarette in the morning incr eases significantly with CO cigarette yield and length of smoking expe rience. In the evening, only the cigarette yield has an effect on COHb level. Biomarker levels excreted in urine are generally lower for fem ales than for males. They tend to increase with smoking history. Only COHb level and total urinary nicotine metabolites (Barlow index) are w eakly correlated with cigarette yield. The absence of significant diff erences due to cigarette class in urinary biomarkers can be explained by changes in inhalation depth, individual differences of metabolism, and limited specificity of some markers (mutagens, thioethers).