Determinants of puff duration in cigarette smokers: II

Studies were conducted to provide information about variables that might account for decreases in puff duration that consistently occur as a whole cigarette is smoked. In two experiments, cigarette smoking was investigated under conditions in which subjects smoked cigarettes which they could not see. Puff duration was shown to covary with manipulations of resistance to draw—increasing tobacco rod length or adding filters proximal or distal to the smoke stream increased puff duration. Filtration of the smoke stream did not influence puff duration when resistance to draw was controlled. Comparison of changes in smoke temperature with changes in puff duration across a whole cigarette, and manipulation of smoke temperature by use of different length cigarette holders suggested that temperature did not appreciably control puff duration. A final experiment with nonhuman simulated puffing of constant puff volume showed that both tobacco rod length and cigarette brand affected puff duration and suggests the possibility that the physics of smoke passing through the cigarette may be a fundamental determinant of changes in puff duration during human smoking.