The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon paradoxes

Major source of PAHs in cigarette MSS is the lighting source (match, flammable fuel-charged hghter, gas burner in laboratory). 

Because bulk pyrolysis of cigarette paper yielded PAHs, cigarette paper (representing about 5% of the cigarette weight) was defined as the major source of PAHs in cigarette MSS [Cooper et al. (817), Cardon et al. (594)]. 

PAHs in cigarette MSS are the result of transfer of PAHs from the surface of air pollutant-contaminated tobacco to MSS. 

Since none of the factors noted above (means of cigarette lighting, cigarette paper, air pollutant contamination) was the source of PAHs in cigarette MSS, the source must be one or more of the tobacco components. However, even in 1957, the presence of B[a] P in tobacco smoke was questioned [cf. Fieser (1181)]. 

According to Wynder and Hoffmann, PAHs in cigarette smoke were the only major tumor initiators in mouse skin carcinogenesis (4332)  

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