Determination of Additives in Cigarettes Utilizing Evolved Gas Analysis (EGA)

While additives to consumer products must be listed in order by amount, it is not required to report the actual amounts of these additives. Given that impacts on human health are dose dependent, knowledge of additive amounts would aid discussions of the safety of these compounds for inhalation. Additives for cigarettes include flavors, such as menthol, and propylene glycol, a humectant. Rapid determination of the amounts of menthol and propylene glycol additives in cigarettes was accomplished utilizing evolved gas analysis (EGA) - gas chromatography (GC) - flame ionization detection (FID). Careful preparation of samples and appropriate sample storage are critical components to this study. Menthol amounts in cigarettes were consistent with previous studies and this represents the first report of propylene glycol amounts.