Overview
ISO 4387:2019 - "Cigarettes - Determination of total and nicotine-free dry particulate matter using a routine analytical smoking machine" - specifies a laboratory method to measure total particulate matter (TPM) and nicotine‑free dry particulate matter (NFDPM, often called “tar”) collected from mainstream cigarette smoke using a routine analytical smoking machine. The standard defines sampling, conditioning, machine smoking, gravimetric determination of TPM and subsequent extraction and gas‑chromatographic analysis for water and nicotine to derive dry particulate matter (DPM) and NFDPM.
Key topics and requirements
- Scope and definitions: precise definitions for TPM, DPM, NFDPM, smoking run, test portion and related terminology.
- Sampling & conditioning: procedures for selecting test portions and conditioning cigarettes under controlled atmosphere (see ISO 3402).
- Smoking machine requirements: use of a routine analytical smoking machine compliant with ISO 3308; use of monitor test pieces (ISO 16055) to control process consistency.
- Collection and measurement:
- Simultaneous trapping of TPM on glass fibre filter traps.
- Gravimetric determination of TPM using an analytical balance (0.1 mg resolution).
- Extraction of collected TPM for determination of water (Karl Fischer or GC method) and nicotine (gas chromatography, ISO 10315) to calculate DPM and NFDPM.
- Apparatus & calibration: requirements for flow meters, puff measurement devices, length/diameter measurement (ISO 2971), and conditioning enclosures.
- Quality metrics: guidance on repeatability and reproducibility, smoking plans, and reporting requirements.
Practical applications and users
ISO 4387:2019 is intended for:
- Tobacco product manufacturers - for product development, quality control and benchmarking.
- Analytical testing laboratories - routine measurement of machine yields (TPM, DPM, NFDPM) and inter-laboratory comparisons.
- Regulatory bodies and standards organizations - for compliance testing and monitoring product characteristics.
- Research institutions - for controlled comparisons of cigarette emissions under standardized machine conditions.
Practical value:
- Enables consistent, reproducible machine-based measurement of smoke particulate yields.
- Supports product ranking and design changes by providing standardized outputs.
- Important for laboratory accreditation, method validation and regulatory reporting.
Note: The standard explicitly cautions that machine yields are not measures of human exposure or risk; additional testing or alternative smoking regimes may be needed for other assessments.
Related standards
Keywords: ISO 4387:2019, total particulate matter, NFDPM, cigarette smoke testing, routine analytical smoking machine, TPM, DPM, nicotine-free dry particulate matter.
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