Two laboratory regimes, more than one changed condition
Qualitative summary of RIVM's published comparison, not instructions for reproducing either test. ‘ISO’ here names that source's reference regime, not every standard version or a current legal ruling.
| Regime in the source | Ventilation in the test | Other sampling conditions | What the result describes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISO reference regime | Ventilation left open | Reference puff volume and frequency | Machine yield for this regime |
| Canadian Intense regime | Ventilation excluded in the laboratory test | Larger, more frequent machine puffs | Yield under a different bundle of conditions |
Adding air is not making the smoke disappear
Think of two contributions to the sampled stream: smoke from the burning cigarette and air admitted through ventilation. Changing their mixture can change the yield obtained under a fixed laboratory programme. The cigarette still burns, and dilution does not remove every harmful component.
Filtration and ventilation may occur in the same product, but they answer different questions: retention of material versus admission of air. Neither the presence of a filter nor the description ‘ventilated’ tells you a personal dose.
Read the comparison before explaining the difference
The table summarises the regimes described by RIVM; it is not a testing recipe. If several conditions change at once, attributing the entire difference to one of them is not justified. RIVM also notes that the size of the change differs between measured substances; one universal multiplier would hide that distinction.
A useful question for a report is: ‘Were the same sample and measured substance compared, under which named regime?’ If the method or version is missing, leave that uncertainty visible. Different results need not mean one laboratory fabricated its data.
A second machine regime is still not a person
People do not all take identical puffs or use cigarettes in the same way. The NCI explains that behaviour may compensate for low machine yields. That is not evidence that everybody compensates fully, nor that either regime supplies a fixed conversion into human exposure.
For an individual health question, ask a qualified local professional rather than multiplying a laboratory number. In the United States, CDC lists 1-800-QUIT-NOW for help stopping smoking; readers elsewhere need their local service. There is no need to inspect or alter a cigarette to ask for support.
What to keep in mind
Sources
The central claims on this page were checked against the sources below.
- US National Cancer Institute: ‘Light’ Cigarettes and Cancer Risk — reviewed 2010-10-28
Sources checked: 2026-10-02
- Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu, Netherlands: Measurement methods for TNCO — published 2017-08-18, modified 2023-07-06
Sources checked: 2026-10-02
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Dual Use of Tobacco Products — reviewed 2025-02-24; quitting-resource section
Sources checked: 2026-10-02
General explanation of laboratory measurements, not cigarette-use instructions, product selection or a personal health assessment.