Some expert think that “light” and “low-tar” cigarettes
were deliberately designed by the tobacco industry to convince health-concerned
smokers to switch cigarette brands rather than quit. There is no evidence that
“light” and “low-tar” cigarettes are less risky than regular cigarettes.
However, internal tobacco industry documents spanning several decades demonstrate
that the tobacco industry deliberately designed “light” and “low-tar” cigarettes
to deceptively produce low yields of tar and nicotine when tested by smoking
machines. The industry heavily marketed these cigarettes as a healthier product
than regular cigarettes. Internal documents also reveal that the industry knew
the machine measurements drastically underestimated how much tar and nicotine
smokers actually receive.
The design and
measurement of “light” and “low-tar” cigarettes
* “Light” and “low-tar” cigarettes take their name from
the fact that they deliver less tar and nicotine than regular cigarettes when
measured by a standardized smoking machine test developed almost 40 years ago
(known as the FTC method in the United States and the ISO elsewhere).
* The smoking machine test measures tar and nicotine
yields of various cigarettes. In the test, the machine smokes every cigarette
exactly the same way; it takes a 2-second, 35-milliliter puff every minute
until the cigarette reaches a specified length.
* Tobacco companies made changes to cigarette design to
reduce machine-measured tar and nicotine yield.
* One of the most common designs used by the tobacco
industry is to increase ventilation holes in the filters to bring in air and
dilute smoke. This dilution leads to artificially low measurements of tar and
nicotine from machine testing.
* Other methods to decrease machine measured yields
include decreasing the density of tobacco with reconstituted sheet tobacco, and
producing cigarettes with a smaller circumference (e.g. slims).
The fraud: smokers get more tar and nicotine than
machines.
* Cigarettes with such altered characteristics produce
lower levels of tar and nicotine in machine tests than unaltered cigarettes.
* However, machine puffing is not consistent with human
smoking behavior, and the smoking machine test has been shown to systematically
underestimate human smoking behavior.
* Unlike machines, smokers crave a certain amount of
nicotine and can change the way they smoke to get a relatively steady dose of
nicotine from each cigarette.
* To get the nicotine they crave, smokers smoke cigarette
brands defined as “light” and “low tar” more intensely than regular brands,
taking more puffs and bigger puffs than the smoking machine. Smokers also cover
“light” and “low-tar” cigarette ventilation holes with their fingers. These
ventilation holes are designed so that they can be easily covered by a smoker’s
lips or fingers.
* By compensating in these ways, smokers can take in nearly
2 to 3 times more tar and nicotine than smoking machines do. Even cigarettes
with the lowest machine ratings can deliver high levels of tar and nicotine to
smokers, a fact long known by the tobacco industry.
* The “light” and “low-tar” fraud has resulted in
hundreds of billions of dollars in sales for the cigarette companies, and tragic
results for smokers.
The Federal Trade
Commission revoked the machine testing method
* In 2008, the United States Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) acknowledged that machine testing does not provide any meaningful
measurements and revoked their machine testing method.
* The FTC found that the machine test currently used to
measure tar and nicotine exposure (called the “Cambridge Filter Method” or “FTC
method”) does not provide useful information to consumers and is likely to
mislead consumers.
* Tobacco companies in the United States risk legal
action by the FTC if they use the current tar and nicotine ratings in a way the
FTC finds false or misleading.
Smokers were misled
by “light” and “low-tar” claims
Smokers are well aware that several years ago, the light,
mild, ultralight, and other such definitions, have been removed from the
products offerings. Now, you have to define your favorite product by color,
which might be less convenient, if the cigarettes you are used to, not on the
shelf. But the change was made by reason:
* Cigarette companies introduced “light” and “low-tar”
cigarettes to reassure consumers and encourage health-concerned smokers to
switch cigarette brands rather than quit.
* Around the world, a large percentage of adult smokers
are misled into believing that ‘light cigarettes are less harmful’ thereby
deterring cessation. More than 60% of Chinese smokers believe that “light” or
“low-tar” cigarettes are less harmful. In France, 76% of “light” or “ultra-light”
cigarette smokers believed they could “quit at any time.”
* Available research, including a large study of U.S.
smokers, shows that smokers who use “light” cigarettes to reduce health risks
are actually less likely to quit smoking. A U.S. study found that smokers who
switched to “light” cigarettes had 46% lower odds of quitting when compared to
smokers who did not switch. A Canadian study showed that more than 25% of
“light” and “mild” cigarette smokers reported using those brands to lower their
smoking risks, and 40% considered smoking those brands a step in the direction
of quitting.
* Nearly three decades ago, Imperial Tobacco understood
this phenomenon: “We have evidence of virtually no quitting among smokers of
these brands, and there are indications that the advent of ultra-low tar
cigarettes has actually retained some potential smokers in the cigarette market
by offering them a viable alternative.”
* After reviewing tobacco industry advertisements and
internal documents dating back to the 1950s, the U.S. National Cancer Institute
concluded that advertising for these products may encourage non-smokers to
start smoking and discourage smokers from quitting.
“Lights” offer no health benefit
* In a cancer prevention study of nearly 1 million people
in the U.S., the risk of lung cancer was no different among people who smoked
medium-tar, low-tar or very low-tar cigarettes.
* In a 40-year study of smokers in the United Kingdom,
the risk of lung cancer increased by nearly 20% among older smokers, despite
widespread use of “low-tar” cigarettes.
* Experts believe the use of health claims to market
“lights” could worsen the burden of tobacco-related diseases, including lung
cancer.
Legal Changes
On June 22, 2009, President Barack Obama signed into law
the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which granted the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate tobacco products. One
provision of the new law bans tobacco manufacturers from using the terms
“light,” “low,” and “mild” in product labeling and advertisements. This
provision went into effect on June 22, 2010. However, some tobacco
manufacturers are using color-coded packaging (such as gold or silver
packaging) on previously marketed products and selling them to consumers who
may continue to believe that these cigarettes are not as harmful as other
cigarettes
Sources and
Additional Information:
Tobacco cigarettes kill our lungs and also waste our money. It is good to quit these tobacco cigarettes. You can try electronic cigarettes.
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