CIGARETTE-SMOKING CHARACTERISTICS OF A SMALL POPULATION OF VOLUNTEER BLOOD-DONORS

As part of a three year study of the effects of cigarette smoking on blood components, demographic data was obtained from healthy volunteer smokers responding to bulletin board notices of solicitation. In addition to age and sex, the type (brand) and number of cigarettes smoked were recorded for each smoker on forms developed to assure collection of data in a uniform and reliable manner. Analysis of the data at completion of the study period revealed that a majority of smokers use filtered versus non-filtered cigarettes (85 vs. 4; P .ltoreq. .05, Z-test): of the filtered variety , a majority were non-menthol versus menthol (60 vs. 29; P .ltoreq. .05, Z-test). The 1984 Federal Trade Commission values for each brand''s CO, tar and nicotine per cigarettte were multiplied by each corresponding donor''s reported number of cigarettes per day to estimate total (maximum) CO, nicotine and tar exposure per day: average daily exposures for all smokers were 23 .+-. 2.43 (SEM) cigarettes per day, 275 .+-. 20.2 mg CO, 270 .+-. 21.2 mg tar and 18 .+-. 1.3 mg nicotine. Males and females were not significantly different. Smokers over age 35 smoked a larger number of cigarettes per day (26.8 .+-. 2.1 vs. 20.5 .+-. 1.5; P .ltoreq. .02, t-test) and thus had higher smoke component exposures. There was no age difference in non-filter cigarette use. These data showing the same use and types of cigarettes for male and female smokers and increases in the number of cigarettes per day in both groups with increased age contrasts with data for larger populations less than 15 years ago.