Comparative studies concerning the suitability of European hamsters and Syrian golden hamsters for investigations on smoke exposure.

The suitability of the European hamster and the Syrian golden hamster for experiments with tobacco smoke has been tested under various conditions by exposure of the animals to total smoke and the gas vapour phase of two cigarettes. Respiration rate, tidal volume and CO-Hb concentrations were measured before and after the exposures. The results demonstrate that the European hamster tolerates smoke inhalation under all conditions studied better than the Syrian golden hamster. In addition, the haemoglobin of the European hamster showed a markedly lower affinity for carbon monoxide than that of the Syrian golden hamster. In the European hamster, therefore, the danger of CO poisoning after repeated exposures to tobacco is much smaller than in the Syrian golden hamster. The European hamster can be regarded as a more suitable model for investigations with highly concentrated and prolonged smoke inhalations.