Tobacco Documents Online

Cigarette Tobacco Ingredients Page 3 of 3 Bit4WN &WiLLIP4M50N TOBACCU A Respwur&tr Goiupnitr 1» A C'uiun rrrri,rlliodratrY http://www.bw.com/1_hottopics/2 smokinganhealth/2d ingredients.html 06/23/1999

Cigarette Tobacco Ingredients Page 1 of 3 HOT TOPICS Smoking and Health Issues Preface On occasion Brown & Williamson is asked to clarify its position on smoking and health issues. Others may also, from time to time, attempt to characterize our views on smoking and health and this characterization may not always be accurate. We are, therefore, issuing these statements to make clear where we stand and to explain the basis for our position on these issues. Nevertheless, Brown & Williamson believes that smokers should rely on the advice of appropriate health authorities such as the Surgeon General for information on smoking and health, including the conclusions that smoking causes disease and is addictive. Cigarette Tobacco Ingredients A variety of ingredients is added to the tobacco blend as part of the manufacture of cigarettes. These ingredients are used to enhance flavor, smoking quality, and to facilitate tobacco processing. Every ingredient added to tobacco in the manufacture of B&W cigarettes is either a food, food ingredient, and/or approved for addition to foods or tobacco products by at least one government regulatory agency. B&W conducts an assessment of the health effects and regulatory status of all new ingredients intended to be added to tobacco. The basic assessment elements include consideration of the chemical structure, purity, and composition of the ingredient; its use level; an understanding of what happens to the ingredient when the product is smoked; estimated exposure(s) of smokers resulting from use of the ingredient in cigarettes; its regulatory status in tobacco and food ingredient, and other regulations worldwide; whether the ingredient occurs naturally in tobacco leaf and/or foods; a history of its use in tobacco, food, and other consumer products; exposure standards pertaining to http://www.bw.com/1 hottopics/2 smokinganhealth/2d ingredients.html 06/23/1999

Cigarette Tobacco Ingredients Page 2 of 3 the ingredient (where applicable); and any effects that may have been reported in health effects studies. A large body of scientific information relevant for assessment of potential health effects of ingredients exists both within the public literature as well as within individual tobacco companies. Collectively, this information does not indicate that addition of ingredients to cigarette tobacco under intended conditions of use in B&W products increases the health risks associated with cigarette smoking. On two occasions, a safety assessment of ingredients added to tobacco in the manufacture of cigarettes was conducted by a panel of non-industry toxicologists on behalf of the cigarette companies. The safety assessments were conducted on the composite ingredient lists of the major U.S. tobacco companies for the years of 1993 and 1996. The reports were released to the public in 1994 and 1998 respectively. The panel concluded in the 1998 report that "the ingredients used by the four largest U.S. manufacturers are not harmful under the conditions of use." Over the years, tobacco ingredients have been the topic of research and discussion in numerous scientific meetings as well as the public scientific literature. Moreover, cigarette ingredients have been the focus of government regulatory activity in several countries, most notably the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States. Indeed, tobacco companies in the United States have provided lists of the ingredients added to tobacco in the manufacture of cigarettes to the U.S. government since 1986. The list was also released to the public in 1994. The United States agency which manages this process has never indicated any specific concern to the tobacco industry about potential adverse health effects resulting from the use of these ingredients. Brown & Williamson is, and has been, willing to share appropriate information about ingredients with government authorities and with the public as long as trade secret protection is provided and the information requested is relevant for conducting a meaningful evaluation of any potential risk of using these ingredients. For more information on the ingredients used in Brown & Williamson products, see Inaredients in the Product Information section. _ I Hot Tooics I C_o_urthouse I Libray_i_M_nufacturin~ I Career Office I I Community Center I Government Center I Home I Site Index I http://www.bw.conm/1 hottopics/2_smokinganhealth/2d ingredients.html 06/23/1999