High particulate matter burden by cigarillos: A laser spectrometric analysis of second-hand smoke of common brands with and without filter

Although the global tobacco market of cigarillos is substantial, little is known about their particulate matter (PM) emissions. For exposure risk assessment of cigarillos, the PM fractions PM(10), PM(2.5), and PM(1) of eight cigarillo brands (four with filters) and a reference cigarette were measured. For this purpose, second-hand smoke was generated by an automatic smoke pump in a measuring chamber with a volume of 2.88 m³. The mean particle concentrations of the cigarillos ranged from 2783 μg/m³ to 6686 μg/m³ for PM(10), from 2767 μg/m³ to 6585 μg/m³ for PM(2.5), and from 2441 to 4680 μg/m³ for PM(1). Mean concentrations of the reference cigarette for PM(10), PM(2.5), and PM(1) were 4400 μg/m³, 4335 μg/m³, and 3289 μg/m³, respectively. Filter-tipped cigarillos showed between 5% and 38% lower PM(10) and PM(2.5) levels, respectively, and between 4% and 30% lower PM(1) levels. Our findings show generally high PM emissions for all investigated tobacco products. Therefore, the declaration of PM amounts to government authorities should be mandatory for all tobacco products. Policymakers should ensure that corresponding information will be provided in the future.