Fast analysis of selected compounds in inhaled and exhaled vapor phase of cigarette smoke to evaluate components retained in the upper respiratory tract.

Rationale: The aim of this work is to use a new design of online sampling photoionization mass spectrometer to analyze chemical ingredients in inhaled and exhaled cigarette smoke directly without separation.

Methods: Based on vacuum ultraviolet photoionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (VUV-PI-TOFMS) and a sampling system, a newly developed rapid online sampling design approach was used for the upper respiratory tract retention study of gaseous mainstream cigarette smoke components during smoking. The cigarette smoke inhaled or exhaled by seven subjects who displayed three different smoking patterns was directly sampled into a vacuum chamber, photoionized, and analyzed using TOFMS.