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The news item on the EU's directive on tobacco misleadingly stated
that the directive sets limits on the amount of tar, nicotine and carbon
monoxide that smokers can inhale from cigarettes. In fact the directive
sets new limits on the amounts of these substances that can be measured by
a machine using a standard puffing regimen. This is a crucial difference
that is not well understood by the public, doctors or policy makers. The
tobacco industry have redesigned cigarettes to "trick" both smokers and
the machine test (e.g. by placing ventilation holes in the filters in
positions covered by smokers' fingers but not by the machine)(1). Smokers
who switch to lower nicotine yielding cigarettes (as measured by the
machine test)simply adjust the way they smoke the cigarette (i.e. increase
the number and volume of puffs)to get their usual amount of nicotine (and
hence similar amounts of the other toxins as well) (2). It is particularly
important that doctors are not under the impression that these new
regulations will result in safer cigarettes in the near future and that
they continue to counsel patients that the only safe cigarette is an unlit
one.
1. Slade J, Henningfield JE. Tobacco product regulation: context and
issues. Food Drug Law J 1998;53 (Supp):44-76
2. Bates C, McNeill A, Jarvis M, Gray N. The future of tobacco
product regulation and labelling in Europe: implications for the
forthcoming European Union directive. Tobacco Control 1999;8:225-235
Competing interests:
No competing interests
12 October 2001
Jonathan Foulds
associate professor
UMDNJ-School of Public Health, Tobacco Dependence Program, New Brunswick, NJ 08852, USA
Correction: EU regulations set limits on machine-smoked yields only
The news item on the EU's directive on tobacco misleadingly stated
that the directive sets limits on the amount of tar, nicotine and carbon
monoxide that smokers can inhale from cigarettes. In fact the directive
sets new limits on the amounts of these substances that can be measured by
a machine using a standard puffing regimen. This is a crucial difference
that is not well understood by the public, doctors or policy makers. The
tobacco industry have redesigned cigarettes to "trick" both smokers and
the machine test (e.g. by placing ventilation holes in the filters in
positions covered by smokers' fingers but not by the machine)(1). Smokers
who switch to lower nicotine yielding cigarettes (as measured by the
machine test)simply adjust the way they smoke the cigarette (i.e. increase
the number and volume of puffs)to get their usual amount of nicotine (and
hence similar amounts of the other toxins as well) (2). It is particularly
important that doctors are not under the impression that these new
regulations will result in safer cigarettes in the near future and that
they continue to counsel patients that the only safe cigarette is an unlit
one.
1. Slade J, Henningfield JE. Tobacco product regulation: context and
issues. Food Drug Law J 1998;53 (Supp):44-76
2. Bates C, McNeill A, Jarvis M, Gray N. The future of tobacco
product regulation and labelling in Europe: implications for the
forthcoming European Union directive. Tobacco Control 1999;8:225-235
Competing interests: No competing interests