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DIN Standards Committee Quality Management, Statistics and Certification

Overview

This International Standard specifies two methods of providing representative samples of a population of cigarettes manufactured for sale. Different procedures are specified according to whether sampling is undertaken at the point of sale or at a factory. a) Sampling "at one point in time" provides for appraisal of the chosen properties of the cigarettes on that occasion. Sampling is carried out within as short a period as possible. b) Sampling "over a period of time" provides for on-going appraisals. It can be considered for practical purposes as a series of samples each taken "at one point in time". This International Standard provides information on the statistical basis for the treatment of data and gives estimates, based on practical experience, of the typical confidence intervals for nicotine-free dry particulate matter (NFDPM), nicotine and CO yields which may be found when a product is sampled in accordance with this International Standard and smoked in accordance with the procedures specified in ISO 3308, ISO 3402, ISO 4387, ISO 8454, ISO 10315, ISO 10362-1 and ISO 10362-2. It is difficult to recommend a detailed method of sampling cigarettes, suitable for every purpose. The objective of sampling is clearly to provide a representative sample but the problem arises because the specific purpose for which tests are required affects the recommendation. Existing national standards, rules, regulations and laws were taken into account when preparing this International Standard and two different procedures, both of which are simple and reliable, are described: - sampling at the point of sale; - sampling at producer's premises or importers' and distributors' warehouses. Sampling is carried out "at one point in time" (for example, cigarettes available for distribution from a factory/warehouse or available at a retail outlet on the market on a scheduled day). When a sample is required which represents cigarettes available over an appreciable period of time (for example, cigarettes representing several months' production) a number of sub-period samples will be taken in a series of samplings, and the results combined. Since this International Standard was originally written in 1981, its role in providing a basis of sampling cigarettes for the verification of on-pack declarations of smoke constituent yields has become increasingly important. For this reason a guide to the statistical evaluation and reporting of results is included to clarify the statistical basis of the confidence intervals for nicotine-free dry particulate matter (NFDPM), nicotine and carbon monoxide (CO) that are listed in Table 3. Sampling according to Clauses 4 and 5 of this International Standard provides a representative cigarette sample that might be used for other testing purposes. The sources of variability arising in cigarette manufacture and in the determination of smoke constituent components are described in Annex B and in ISO/TR 22305. It is recommended that determinations of smoke constituent yields should be made on the population manufactured for sale, sampled at manufacturers' factories or importers' warehouses and that because of variations in cigarette manufacture the "sampling over a period of time" mode should be used wherever possible.

Document: references other documents

Responsible national committee

NA 057-04-01 AA - Tobacco and tobacco products  

Responsible international committee

ISO/TC 126 - Tobacco and tobacco products