Determination of Tobacco Specific Nitrosamines in Cigarette Mainstream Smoke: The CORESTA 2011 Collaborative Study

A CORESTA Recommended Method (CRM 75) has been developed and published, applicable to the quantification of tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), namely, Nnitrosonornicotine (NNN), N-nitrosoanabasine (NAB), Nnitrosoanatabine (NAT) and 4-(N-nitrosomethylamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) in cigarette mainstream smoke. The method involves smoke collection on a Cambridge filter pad under both ISO 3308 and the intense conditions adopted by Health Canada. An internal standard solution is added to the smoke collected on the pad and, after extraction, an aliquot is separated and quantitatively analysed by liquid chromatographytandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)