The cigarette smoke will be generated using a TE-10 Smoking Machine. Here's picture and description of the device. Click on TE-10. Here's what the TE-10 can do . Who thinks up these things?

The TE-10z is a microprocessor-controlled cigarette smoking machine that produces either side-stream or mainstream smoke (or a combination of the two) from filtered research cigarettes (non-filtered or standard size cigarettes smoking machines can be manufactured by special order).

One to ten cigarettes can be smoked at a time. Cigarettes are loaded into a magazine where they are automatically pushed into a wheel and lighted. The cigarettes are puffed according to FTC method and automatically ejected after a certain number of puffs. Expended butts are extinguished in water. Smoke is captured in a chimney and transported to a collecting and mixing chamber for use in exposure studies.

The guinea pigs will be exposed to cigarette smoke for four weeks. We at POET are glad that OSU is concerned about second hand smoke. An early removal criteria for an animal in the study reads, "any guinea pig that shows eye irritation and mucosa inflammation due to secondary smoke exposure will also be euthanized by CO2 asphyxiation.

And of course after the 28 days the guinea pigs will be killed.

Besides guinea pigs Dr. Dahl will also be using mice in another approved OSU ILACUC protocol.

2004A0128 - Epigenetic Responses To Inhaled Cigarette Smoke in Rodents

In this study 720 A/J or Swiss Webster mice will be used "to explore the early genetic changes in guinea pigs exposed to cigarette smoke." Oh wait that's "animals exposed to cigarette smoke."

Dr. Dahl writes, "The mice are used in these experiments because they are prone to develop lung tumors and they are also used in most cigarette smoke induced models so comparative data involving pathology and tumorigenicity are available."

The mice will be exposed to cigarette smoke using the TE-10 device for two weeks. Following the two weeks the mice will be killed via an injection of sodium pentobarbital. There is no mention of second hand smoke in this protocol.

Dr. Dahl also has an early protocol approved by OSU ILACUC and funded by the National Cancer Institute. This protocol, 2003A0013, has been amended a number of times to add more mice and modify the original experimental design. Currently 1,430 mice have been approved for this experiment.

Inhalation System Acclimation: All potential study animals(mice) will be introduced into the inhalation exposure tubes at least 3 days prior to the first actual inhalation exposure. Animals(mice) may be excluded from the study based on poor behavior or acceptance of the inhalation exposure procedure. During exposures, animals (mice) will be restrained in polycarbonate tubes, The tubes are tapered on one end to approximately fit the shape of the animal's (mouse's) head and the diameter of the cylindral portion of the cone is such that the animal (mouse) cannot turn in the cone. The cone containing the animals (mice) is fastened to the inhalation chamber with the nose portion of the cone protuding through a gasket into the chamber. This permits the animals (mice) to breathe the test or control atmosphere within the inhalation chamber without otherwise coming in contact with the atmosphere.

And variables are always required so:

Mice will be exposed in the inhalation chamber (5s, 30s, 3 min or 23 min) and sacrificed (killed) post single exposure (0s, 2h, 8h, 24h); or, for multiple exposures, after the first exposure (1, 2, 4, 7, 12 days) or last exposure (0s, 12h, 24h, 3 days, 6 days, 10 days, and 20 days).
Italics in last two paragraphs are mine. Glad to see that he finally remembered he is using mice.

One reason given to the OSU ILACUC for needing more mice is the following:

The major part of the original protocol was completed with the unexpected result that there was no efficacy in prevention of lung cancer by inhaled 13-cisretinoic acid, although earlier studies carried out under different exposure conditions have shown efficacy. The earlier studies exposed mice to relatively high concentrations of ethanol vapor, which we believe, contributed to the observation that the mice gained weight at a much reduced rate compared to cage controls. In the just completed study, ethanol vapor was removed from the air stream and mice gained weight at normal rates.

Tthe following is taken from the abstract to NCI, which since 2003 has funded this experiment to the tune of $636,442,

Isotretinoin exhibits excellent potential as a lung cancer chemopreventative in vitro and for this reason has been the subject of a number of clinical trials, with generally disappointing results.

Note: We at POET want you to read the same words that the OSU ILACUC reads when they approve protocols which are using animals for research. So most of what you have read above is in their own words. Approve. Don't approve. What do you think?