Tobacco Documents Online

The odor of free nicotine "will almost bowl one over"

Abstract

"Project Mad Hatter" was designed to "maximize the desirable constituents of smoke and minimize the undesirable ones." Interesting comments in this document include that "...we are in a nicotine rather than a tobacco industry..." It was also most interesting that the writer, an employee of a tobacco company, actually made a specific comment that he found the odor and irritation of free nicotine to be so irritating that "a small amount will almost knock one over." Here is the full comment: "Another easy test of free nicotine odor and irritation involves smelling some as it is eluted from a gas chromatograph. -- a small amount will almost knock one over and the aroma is apparent." If the aroma and irritation from a small amount of free nicotine is so powerful that it can "almost knock one over," and since the industry has greatly increased the amount of free nicotine in cigarettes since the 1960's, how can this industry justify opposing laws banning indoor smoking? This is an admission that this substance is physically irritating. (Unless, of course, they hide such internal insights about free nicotine from the public, legislators and boards of health.) Title: Comments on Nicotine Type of Document: Report, general Company: Believed to be Brown and Williamson, according to the stamp Author: Johnson, RR Recipient: N/A Date: 19710000 Site: Tobacco Documents Online (TDO) http://tobaccodocuments.org/tdo/ Bates No. 682012257/2258 URL: http://tobaccodocuments.org/tdo/view.cfm?CitID=993433&ShowImages=yes Litigation Usage: MN Trial Exhibit 13,878

Fields

Quotes

A meeting was held on June 30 to discuss past research on nicotine... The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the results from Projects MAD HATTER and HIPPO, and to stimulate further discussion on the importance of nicotine to the industry. Sir Charles started the meeting by saying that he had first brought out the concept that we are in a nicotine rather than a tobacco industry... Project MAD HATTER was originally arranged to maximize the desirable constituents of smoke and minimize the undesirable ones...The second part was designed to find out what the body does with nicotine... Dr. Evelyn presented the results from Project HIPPO which was designed to delineate the somewhat paradoxical effects of nicotine as both a stimulant and a tranquilizer....Nicotine appears to serve a very useful function in helping the organism handle stress. Although nicotine in the bloodstream is rapidly metabolized, some is apparently stored for a much longer time in places where it can become involved in the stress biochemistry. After the presentation, the group had a discussion on the organoleptic effects of nicotine....Another easy test of free nicotine odor and irritation involves smelling some as it is eluted from a gas chromatograph. -- a small amount will almost knock one over and the aroma is apparent. It appears to this author that the Southampton group is going to be doing a large amount of work on nicotine, and for some good reasons. To summarize: Project ARIEL - This is dormant for the moment. The first samples tried gave a tremendous kick, even though the nicotine delivery was quite small. It would appear that this project will be reinitiated in a few months... Dr. S.R. Evelyn - is presently investigating the absorption of extractable and non-extractable nicotine in the mouth, albeit with a mechanical mouth.... Mr. H.G. Horsewell continues to work with alkaline filter additives which selectively increase nicotine delivery...