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.