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Are light or low tar cigarettes better for your health?
According to David M. Burns, M.D., senior scientific editor of the monograph and a professor at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, "The take-home message of this report is that the only proven way to reduce the disease risks associated with smoking is to quit."
New Testing Method Needed The FTC has asked the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) for guidance to improve its testing method for tar and nicotine. NCI and other DHHS agencies will convene a working group to review and synthesize the science on this issue and to determine what changes should be made to the testing method to correct the limitations identified in the monograph.Currently, measurements of tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide are obtained by machine measurement using the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) testing method. However, studies now show that the FTC method does not appropriately mimic human smoking behavior. The monograph concludes that: "Measurements of tar and nicotine yields using the FTC method do not offer smokers meaningful information on the amount of tar and nicotine they will receive from a cigarette. The measurements also do not offer meaningful information on the relative amounts of tar and nicotine exposure likely to be received from smoking different brands of cigarettes." According to Leischow, "There is an urgent need to develop new approaches to testing that offer meaningful information. Smokers should not believe that the tar and nicotine levels listed on a pack of cigarettes are what they are actually inhaling." |
Smokers Compensate
The monograph describes the advertising and promotional strategies used by the tobacco industry to market lower-yield cigarettes. It concludes that these strategies were intended to reassure smokers and to prevent them from quitting, and that they led consumers to perceive filtered and low-tar products as safer alternatives to regular cigarettes. The monograph also cites internal tobacco industry documents that demonstrate the industry's early knowledge of the discrepancy between the FTC machine-measured yields of tar and nicotine and what the smoker actually inhales.
The monograph describes several reasons why the levels of tar and nicotine measured by the FTC method do not reflect actual tar and nicotine delivery to the smoker.
The filters in low-tar/low-nicotine cigarettes often include vent holes which, when open, allow air to enter and dilute the smoke. However, many smokers cover these holes with their lips and fingers. In contrast, when tested by a machine, the holes are unobstructed, and artificially low measurements of tar and nicotine are obtained. In addition, smokers who switch to low-tar or low-nicotine cigarettes from regular cigarettes "compensate" for the lower nicotine level by inhaling more deeply; taking larger, more rapid, or more frequent puffs; or by increasing the number of cigarettes smoked per day. As a result, smokers cancel out any potential benefit of smoking a "low-tar" cigarette.
Future Research
The authors note that continued research, as well as tracking of the diseases caused by smoking, is necessary to determine the disease risks associated with recently introduced "reduced exposure" cigarettes or cigarette-like products. Further study on the health risks of individuals who have smoked only "low-yield," "ultra-low-yield," and "low-carcinogen" cigarettes is also needed.
This article is in 2 parts. Click here to read the first part.
Brain Function Light And Low Tar Cigarettes National Quitline Network Princeton University Tell Someone You Love Blood Pressure And Smoking Smoking In Restaurants Winter Olympics are smoke free Women Increased drug use by smokers Tips On Quitting Women-Improved Lung FunctionIf you would like to know more about our college sports recruiting service and how we can help you get recruited then please check out our website.
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