F-01: a filled fictional particulate report
Invented date: 2026-09-30. Mainstream-smoke particulate sample; Reference A / Teaching-1, both fictional. Every value is mg per cigarette. No actual product or person was tested; the table is not a compliant-method report.
| Reported item | Result (mg/cigarette) | How this row is obtained |
|---|---|---|
| Total particulate matter (TPM) | 12.0 | Collected particulate quantity |
| Water in that material | 2.0 | Measured component, subtracted from TPM |
| Nicotine in that material | 1.0 | Measured component, subtracted from TPM |
| Calculated tar | 9.0 | 12.0 − 2.0 − 1.0 |
Start with the header, not the largest number
Our fully fictional report has sample ID F-01 and an invented report date of 30 September 2026. It describes mainstream-smoke particulate material: the fraction collected from the machine-drawn smoke stream. The teaching condition is called ‘Reference A’, version ‘Teaching-1’. These names are invented, not an ISO version or a claim of regulatory compliance.
All four rows use mg per cigarette and belong to that same fictional sample and condition. This is a filled arithmetic example, not an accredited laboratory report. In a real report, an unexplained method code or missing collection conditions would remain a question for the issuing laboratory.
Work through the subtraction
The collected total particulate matter is 12.0 mg per cigarette. Of that, water is 2.0 and nicotine is 1.0, in the same unit. Subtracting both gives 9.0: 12.0 − 2.0 − 1.0 = 9.0. The nicotine row is not added on top of the total; it is one of the quantities subtracted from it.
Subtracting nicotine is part of the tar definition, not evidence that nicotine was absent from the smoke. Likewise, ‘dry’ describes the water correction; it does not mean the entire smoke consists of dry particles. Health Canada's historical T-115 method, dated 1999, explains this measurement definition. We use its definition, not a claim that the document is the current rule everywhere.
What is outside the 9.0
This calculated particulate quantity is not a total of all smoke constituents. In the cited method, carbon monoxide in the gas phase is measured separately; it is not made into part of this tar subtraction. Nor does this table identify every chemical within the particulate material.
A higher or lower tar yield under one programme is a laboratory characterisation, not a complete toxicity score. Comparing another report requires the same measured object, compatible units and understood conditions. Different machine regimes can change yields; neither the report nor multiplying its value by a cigarette count measures a person's retained dose.
Ask the right service the right question
For a missing method or unit, ask the laboratory that issued the report. For your own health, use a qualified local professional. If the goal is help stopping smoking, CDC lists 1-800-QUIT-NOW in the United States; English speakers elsewhere should contact their local service. A quitline is not a laboratory certification service, and support does not require choosing a lower-numbered cigarette.
What to keep in mind
Sources
The central claims on this page were checked against the sources below.
- Health Canada: Determination of ‘Tar’, Nicotine and Carbon Monoxide in Mainstream Tobacco Smoke — Health Canada T-115, 1999-12-31; page modified 2011-07-19
Sources checked: 2026-10-02
- 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 resources
Sources checked: 2026-10-02
General report-reading education. Fictional values are not product data, personal exposure measurements, a health ranking or instructions for testing cigarettes.