Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Updated Data for Nicotine, Tar, and CO Content Of Domestic Cigarettes

As I mention on my main smoking page, the last published report on the tar, nicotine, and CO content of cigarettes appears to have been Tar, Nicotine, and Carbon Monoxide of the Smoke of 1294 Varieties of Domestic Cigarettes For the Year 1998. According to an article at http://freegovinfo.info/archive/200608, the last report was released in September 1999 and the Federal Trade Commission has continued collecting data on nicotine but has not published reports on the findings. However, I recently came across data for 2006 and 2007 in a report titled 2006 and 2007 Tar, Nicotine, and Carbon Monoxide Reports which was released under the Freedom of Information Act on May 15, 2012. I've compiled and sorted the data from 2007 and posted links to it on my main smoking page.

Underneath those links, I added a link to the previous data from 1994. The reason for this was to allow someone to compare the 1994 and 2007 data and get an idea of how much the numbers had changed for any specific brand. Then they could judge how much the numbers might have changed since 2007. For example, the following table shows the change in the numbers for Carlton:

      CHANGE IN CARLTON FROM 1994 TO 2007

YR  NIC   TAR    CO   LEN  FLTR  PACK  STRENGTH
--  ---  ----  ----  ----  ----  ----  --------
07* 0.1     1     1    85  F     HP    ULTRA-LT
07* 0.1     1     2    85  F     SP    ULTRA-LT
07  0.1     1     1   100  F     HP    ULTRA-LT
94        <.5  <.05
07  0.1     1     1   100  F     SP    ULTRA-LT
94  0.2     2     3                    LT
07  0.5     5     3   120  F     SP    ULTRA-LT
94                4                    LT

* no change from 1994
The table shows that the strength of 85mm (Kings) Carltons have not changed at all. For the 100s hardpack, the tar and CO content have gone up from the very low level that they were measured in 1994 but the nicotine level is the same. Conversely, the strength of the 100s softpack has about halved and has been relabeled from "Light" to "Ultra-Light". It would appear that the strength was purposely lowered to more closely match the strength of the Kings and 100s hardpack. However, the 120s softpack remains about five times as strong as the Kings and 100s.

Following is similar data for brands of Now and Merit which existed in both 1994 and 2007:

        CHANGE IN NOW FROM 1994 TO 2007

YR  NIC   TAR    CO   LEN  FLTR  PACK  STRENGTH
--  ---  ----  ----  ----  ----  ----  --------
07  0.2     1     2    84  F     SP    ULTRA-LT
94  0.1                               (not listed)
07  0.3     3     4   100  F     SP    ULTRA-LT
94  0.2     2     3                   (not listed)

       CHANGE IN MERIT FROM 1994 TO 2007

YR  NIC   TAR    CO   LEN  FLTR  PACK  STRENGTH
--  ---  ----  ----  ----  ----  ----  --------
07* 0.2     1     3    84  F     SP    ULTIMA
07  0.4     5     6    84  F     SP    ULTRA-LT
94  0.5
07  0.3     2     4    99  F     SP    ULTIMA
94  0.2           5  
07* 0.5     5     7    99  F     SP    ULTRA-LT

* no change from 1994
In all of the tables above, a blank value for 1994 indicates that it is the same as for 2007. In any case, the 1994 and 2007 data can be compared in a similar way for other brands to judge how much they have changed over time and are likely to have changed since 2007.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

When will the FDA Publish the List of Harmful Constituent in Tobacco?

On May 7th, I sent the following email to AskCTP@fda.hhs.gov, the address listed for general inquiries on the FDA Tobacco Products page.

To Whom it may Concern:

According to the Timeline of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act at http://www.fda.gov/TobaccoProducts/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/ucm237395.htm, the following was to be done by April of 2013:

Publish the list of harmful and potentially harmful constituents in a format that is understandable and not misleading to the lay public

– Sec. 904(a)(3)25, 904(d)(1)26, 904(e)27

If this has been done, can you tell me where it was published (the online location if available)? If not, can you tell me when it is planned to be published?

The same day, I got the following reply:

Thank you for your email. The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act gives the FDA an extraordinary opportunity to improve the health of all Americans, whether they use tobacco or not. One of the goals of the law is to improve consumer understanding of tobacco products and their related harms, as tobacco use continues to be the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States.

Part of the law requires FDA to publicly display information about harmful and potentially harmful constituents (HPHCs), chemicals in tobacco products and tobacco smoke that cause harm, or could cause harm, to users and non-users. FDA is required by law to provide this information to the public, including the amount of each chemical present in specific brands and sub-brands of tobacco products, in a way that is understandable and not misleading by April 1, 2013.

FDA was unable to make this information available by the April deadline, but will do so once the Agency is confident that the information is accurate, understandable and not misleading to the public. Currently, the Agency is still evaluating the data it has received from manufacturers, including verifying its accuracy. In addition, FDA is planning to conduct scientific studies to assess consumer understanding of how the Agency presents information about HPHCs. Upon completion of these important activities, FDA intends to publish the HPHC information so that consumers can make more informed decisions about tobacco products.

____________________

Center for Tobacco Products

Food and Drug Administration

CTP Call Center: 1-877-CTP-1373 www.fda.gov/tobacco

Nearly identical comments were made in an FDA response to a news reporter posted at this link. Also, googling the phrase "once the Agency is confident that the information is accurate, understandable and not misleading" turns up several other references to this action.

So when does the FDA intend to "publish the HPHC information so that consumers can make more informed decisions about tobacco products"? They do say that they are "still evaluating the data it has received from manufacturers, including verifying its accuracy". This sounds like it could conclude at any time. However, they also say that they are "planning to conduct scientific studies to assess consumer understanding of how the Agency presents information about HPHCs". This implies that the studies have not even started so it doesn't sound like this will be finished any time soon.

As mentioned at this link, you could find recent figures for the tar and nicotine content of cigarettes manufactured by Philip Morris on their website until late 2008. An explanation for their removal can be found on this page. Following is an excerpt:

On November 26, 2008, however, the FTC rescinded its 1966 guidance. In support of its decision, the FTC stated that, "there is now a consensus among the public health and scientific communities that the Cambridge Filter Method is sufficiently flawed that statements of tar and nicotine yields as measured by that method are not likely to help consumers make informed decisions."

As with the FTC before it, the FDA seems to feel that it is better that people have no information about the tar and nicotine content of cigarettes than that they have imperfect information by which they might be misled. This seems like a questionable policy to me, treating people like children who "can't handle the truth". To be fair to the FDA, this may be because the law itself says that the list of constituents is to be published "in a format that is understandable and not misleading to the lay public". In any event, if anyone should hear any information on when or where this information is to be published, please leave a comment here.