Nicotine yields of cigarettes,plasma nicotine in smokers,and public health

Previous research by M. A. H. Russell, M. Jarvis, R. Iyer, and C. Feyerabend (Brit. Med. J.280, 972–976 (1980)) concluded (a) that standard nicotine yields of cigarettes are very poor indicators of plasma nicotine concentrations in smokers, and therefore, (b) that the presumed health advantage of lower-yield cigarettes was likely not due to reduced “tar” intake by smokers of these cigarettes. The laboratory data, however, were not analyzed in a way that permits direct generalization to the epidemiological findings. A reanalysis of the data shows that the odds of deriving high yields increases substantially as the standard nicotine yield increases: lower risks associated with lower-yield cigarettes may be attributable to reduced nicotine (tar) yields to smokers. Implications for public health and the special risks of ventilated-filter cigarettes are discussed.