Characterization of Mainstream Cigarette Smoke Particle Size Distributions from Commercial Cigarettes Using a DMS500 Fast Particulate Spectrometer and Smoking Cycle Simulator

Particle size distribution and number concentration measurements of mainstream cigarette smoke are reported for commercial cigarettes encompassing a broad range of design parameters. Measurements were made using a Cambustion DMS500 fast particulate spectrometer. Twenty-nine brand styles were evaluated using a 60-mL puff of 2-s duration taken once every 30 s. A subset of cigarettes was evaluated using additional smoking regimens to explore the influence of puff volume and filter ventilation blocking. The DMS500-derived particulate matter mass was compared with filter-collected mass to assess the reliability of the aerosol measurements. Under the 60-mL/2-s puffing condition, all puffs for all products were observed to exhibit count median diameters between 145 nm and 189 nm. Measured particle size was 12–22 nm smaller for a 60-mL puff relative to a 35-mL puff. Partial or complete filter ventilation blocking under the 60-mL/2-s puffing condition had a small effect on particle size. Some trends in particle si...