RJ Reynolds
Smoking and Tobacco Control. Monograph 7. The Ftc Cigarette Test Method for Determining Tar, Nicotine, and Carbon Monoxide Yields of U.S. Cigarettes. Report of the NCI Expert Committee.
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Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph No. 7
Chapter 10. Sensitivity of the Federal Trade Commission
Test Method to Analytical Parameters ....................
135
Introduction .............................................. 135
Standard Machine Smoking .................................. 135
Influence of Smoking Parameters ............................. 137
Influence of Human Smoking Practices ........................ 141
Conclusions .............................................. 149
Question-and-Answer Session ................................ 149
References ............................................... 149
Acknowledgments ........... .............................. 150
Chapter 11. Human Smoking Patterns ............................... 151
Introduction .............................................. 151
How Do Humans Smoke? ................................... 151
Which Human Smoking Behaviors Determine
Smoke Exposure? ..........................................
152
Are Human Smoking Patterns Dynamic or Static? ................ 153
Does the FTC Method Accurately Reflect Human
Smoking Pattems? .........................................
154
Summary ................................................ 156
Question-and-Answer Session ................................ 157
References ............................................... 159
Chapter 12. Compensation for Nicotine by Smokers of
Lower Yield Cigarettes ...................................
161
Background ............................................... 161
Cigarette Brand Switching in Experimental Research .............. 161
Research ..................................1.............. 162
One Repeated-Measures Study of Self-Selected '
Brand Switching ...........................................
165
Smokers Can Get High Yields From the Lowest of the
Low-Yield Cigarettes: More on the Issue of Vent Blocking .........
165
Graphic Information on Tar and Nicotine Yields:
The Color-Matching Technique ..............................
166
xxiv

Contents
Nicotine Content of Tobacco Vs. FTC Yield ...................... 95
Quantitating Nicotine Intake in Smokers ........................ 95
Cotinine Levels and Nicotine Intake ........................... 98
Ultralow-Yield Cigarettes .................................... 101
Nicotine Intake and Machine-Determined Yield .................. 102
Carbon Monoxide and FTC Yield .............................. 104
Tar-to-Nicotine Ratio ....................................... 104
Conclusions ............................................... 106
Question-and-Answer Session ................................. 108
References ................................................ 110
Acknowledgments .......................................... 111
Chapter 8. Pharmacology and Markers: Nicotine
Pharmacology and Addictive Effects ...................... 113
Introduction .............................................. 113
Cigarette Smoking ~as Drug Dependence ......................... 113
Nicotine Delivery Systems ................................... 115
Nicotine's Effects ........................................... 116
Smoking and Nicotine Dose .................................. 119
A Proposal for More Meaningful Cigarette Labeling ............... 122
Question-and-Answer Session ................................. 122
References ................................................ 124
Chapter 9. Consumer/Smoker Perceptions of Federal
Trade Commission Tar Ratings ........................... 127
Introduction .............................................. 127
Tar Level of Cigarettes ....................................... 127
Knowledge of Advertised Tar Numbers ......................... 128
Smokers' Interpretations of Tar Numbers ........... : ............ 130
Smokers' Use of Advertised Tar Numbers ........................ 132
Conclusions ............................................... 132
Question-and-Answer Session ................................. 132
Reference ................................................. 134
ot
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Chapter 1
In short, there was no clear consensus as to specific action the
Commission could (or should) take to eliminate the limitations of the
test method. At the same time, abandoning the testing system without
instituting another method of tar testing would have been premature
because then-current epidemiological evidence suggested that there had
been a reduction in lung cancer deaths that might be attributable to declines
in average tar levels that had occurred since the 1950's (U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, 1981).r' Accordingly, at that time the
Commission made no changes to its cigarette test method to address
compensatory smoking.
In early 1987 the Commission decided to close its cigarette testing
laboratory. The Commission found that closing the laboratory was necessary
for several reasons, chiefly because the cost of the laboratory was significant
and the Commission would have had to commit significant additional funds
to continue its operation. The Commission also was persuaded that the
same information could be obtained from other sources and that other
means were available to verify the accuracy of industry testing results. In fact,
the Commission's operation of a testing system for the industry at taxpayer
expense was highly unusual. The common scenario is for the industry to
conduct its own testing under Government-specified testing protocols.
Since 1987 the Tobacco Institute Testing Laboratory (TITL) has continued
to test most cigarettes, using the Commission's approved methodology; the
companies report the results to the Commission pursuant to a compulsory
request, and the Commission publishes the results. TITL keeps the
Commission informed of proposed changes in the testing procedure and
solicits Commission approval for all significant changes. TITL's work is
regularly monitored by the Commission's contractor, Harold Pillsbury, Jr.
(this volume), who has virtually unrestricted access to the laboratory and
makes unannounced visits to inspect it and check the testing process.
Mr. Pillsbury also checks the data for consistency from run to run and from
year to yeat. Most industry members also have testing facilities; however, the
numbers published by the Commission are primarily TITL numbers. (Generic
and private label brands, as well as new cigarettes and cigarettes that are not
widely available, are not tested by TITL.)
Since the closing of its laboratory, the Commission has continued to
review advertising for today's low- and ultralow-yield cigarettes for deceptive
claims. In January 1995 the Commission approved a consent agreement with
the American Tobacco Company, settling charges over advertisements that
allegedly misused the Commission's tar and nicotine ratings by stating that
consumers would get less tar by smoking 10 packs of Carlton brand cigarettes
In 1954 the tar yield of the sales-weighted average cigarette was 37 mg (U.S. Department of Health
and Human
Services, 1981). By 1981 cigarettes yielding 15 mg of tar or less had 56 percent of the domestic
market (Federal
Trade Commission, 1984).
7

Acknowledgments
Chapter 2. Review of the Fede.al Trade
Commission Method for
Determining Cigarette Tar
and Nicotine Yield
Chapter 3. Changes in Cigarette Design
and Composition Over Time
and How They Influence the
Yields of Smoke Constituents
Chapter 4. Attitudes, Knowledge, and
Beliefs About Low-Yield
Cigarettes Among
Adolescents and Adults
Harold C. Pillsbury, Jr.
Rockville, MD
Dietrich Hoffmann, Ph.D.
American Health Foundation
Valhalla, NY
Mirjana V. Djordjevic, Ph.D.
American Health Foundation
Valhalla, NY
Klaus D. Brunnemann, M.S.
American Health Foundation
Valhalla, NY
Gary A. Giovino, Ph.D., M.S.
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
Atlanta, GA
Scott L. Tomar, D.M.D., Dr.P.H.
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
Atlanta, GA
Murli N. Reddy, M.S.
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
Atlanta, GA
John P. Peddicord, M.S.
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
Atlanta, GA
Bao-Ping Zhu, Ph.D., M.B.B.S., M.S.
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
Atlanta, GA
Luis G. Escobedo, M.D., M.P.H.
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
Atlanta, GA
Michael P. Eriksen, Sc.D.
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
Atlanta, GA
xiii

Chapter 2
Review of the Federal Trade Commission
Method for Determining Cigarette Tar and
Nicotine Yield
Harold C. Pillsbury, Jr.l
The "Federal Trade Commission (Commission or FTC) method" is the
methodology that the Commission adopted almost 30 years ago for testing
cigarettes. This methodology is still used today by the Tobacco Institute
Testing Laboratory (TITL), with some minor modifications. The FTC method
determines the relative yield of individual cigarettes by smoking them in a
standardized fashion, according to a predetermined protocol, on a smoking
machine. The FTC test method was based on the "Cambridge Filter method"
developed by Ogg (1964), which called for 2-second, 35-mL puffs to be taken
until a 23-mm butt length remained on the cigarette. More about how these
parameters were selected is presented below.
For the testing procedure, as implemented initially by the FTC's cigarette
testing laboratory and currently by TITL, cigarettes are collected by an
independent firm that purchases two packages of each cigarette variety2
in each of 50 locations throughout the United States. (If some varieties
or brands are not available In certain locations, additional packs will be
purchased in locations where they are available.) They are mailed to the
testing laboratory; the postmark serves as verification that they were
purchased in different locations. Individual cigarettes to be tested are
selected on a random basis, two from each pack. Before being smoked,
the cigarettes are "conditioned" by being placed on storage trays in a room
maintained at 75 °F and 60 percent relative humidity for not less than
24 hours.
The machine used in the Commission's laboratory had 20 "ports"
(openings); the smoking machine currently used by TITL also has 20 ports.
Each opening is fitted with a filter holder, into which a cigarette is inserted
for smoking, and a filter pad, on which particulate matter from the cigarette
smoke is collected. Gases pass through the pad and are collected in specially
designed plastic bags.
' These remarks are the views of the staff of the Bureau of Consumer Protection. They do not
necessarily
represent the view of the Commission or any individual commissioner.
2 A particvlar brand of cigarettes may have more than a dozen varieties, depending on whether it is
available
in different lengths, in regular and menthol flavors, in hard and soft packaging, and in regular,
light, and
ultralight versions. For example, the Commission's 1994 tar and nicotine report lists 20 varieties
of Marlboro.
9

Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph No. 7
Lynn T. Kozlowski, Ph.D.
Professor and Head
Department of Biobehavioral Health
Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA
C. Lee Peeler, Esq.
Associate Director
Division of Advertising Practices
Federal Trade Commission
Washington, DC
Harold C. Pillsbury, Jr.
Rockville, MD
Jonathan M. Samet, M.D., M.S..
Chairman
Department of Epidemiology
Johns Hopkins University
School of Hygiene and Public Health
, Baltimore, MD
James P. Zacny, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
Tobacco Industry J. Donald deBethizy, Ph.D.
Representatives Vice President, Product Evaluation
R J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
Bowman Gray Technical Center
Winston-Salem, NC
David E. Townsend, Ph.D.
Principal Scientist
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
Bowman Gray Technical Center
Winston-Salem, NC
The Coordinator and STCP staff members also gratefully
acknowledge the authors who made this monograph possible.
Attributions for those chapters with authors folloW.
Chapter 1. Cigarette Testing and the C. Lee Peeler, Esq.
Federal Trade Commission: Federal Trade Commission
A Historical Overview Washington, DC
xii

L
Acknowledgments
The FTC Cigarette Test Method for Determining Tar, Nicotine, and Carbon
Monoxide Yields of U.S. Cigarettes: Report of the NCI Expert Committee was
developed under the general editorship of the Smoking and Tobacco Control
Program (STCP), National Cancer Institute (NCI), Donald R. Shopland,
Coordinator.
In organizing the December 5-6, 1994, meeting of the NCI Ad Hoc
Committee of the President's Cancer Panel on the FTC Test Method for
Determining Tar, Nicotine, and Carbon Monoxide Levels in Cigarettes, NCI
had the expert advice and assistance of many individuals both in and out of
Government service. In particular, the Coordinator and STCP staff members
would like to acknowledge the following individuals who served as part of an
informal planning group for the conference:
Judith Wilkenfeld, Esq.
Food and Drug Administration
Rockville, MD
Jack E. Henningfield, Ph.D.
Addiction Research Center
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Baltimore, MD
Michael P. Eriksen, Sc.D.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Atlanta, GA
Shira D. Modell, Esq.
Federal Trade Commission
Washington, DC
Special recognition is due John M. Pinney and Joseph G. Gitchell,
Pinney Associates, Bethesda, MD, for their help with overall conference
organization and planning. Mr. Pinney also served as facilitator for all
consensus deliberations by the expert panel.
We would like to express our sincere appreciation to
the following members of the NCI Ad Hoc Committee of
the President's Cancer Panel.
Chairman, Harold P. Freeman, M.D.
President's Cancer Panel Director of Surgery
Harlem Hospital Center
New York, NY
Executive Secretary, Maureen O. Wilson, Ph.D.
President's Cancer Panel National Cancer Institute
Bethesda, MD
ix

Chapter 2
that 100 are successfully smoked. Common technical problems that
can cause a filter pad to be discarded include lighting failures and port
leaks. During the last year of the FTC laboratory's operation, fewer than
300 varieties of cigarettes were tested, and the testing cycle (which included
curing, marking, and smoking the cigarettes, etc.) lasted approximately
12 months. There were 933 cigarette varieties rated by the TITL in the
Commission's 1994 report.
The author once had the opportunity to ask Dr. Ogg (who worked as a
tobacco chemist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture) how he came up
with the specific parameters of his protocol. He said that he had based them
on observations of how people smoke under different conditions. He had
spent a lot of time watching people smoke (at the office, on the street, etc.),
sometimes timing them with a stopwatch. His observations told him that
people smoked differently under different conditions. For example, someone
deep in thought might take only one or two puffs before the cigarette burned
out, whereas someone who seemed extremely nervous might puff constantly.
In short, there was no such thing as an "average" smoker and no way to
derive a set of testing parameters that would replicate actual human smoking,
so Dr. Ogg had to select parameters that seemed reasonable in light of his
observations.6 Dr. Ogg also collected cigarette butts from ash trays in hotels,
restaurants, and offices and measured how long they were; the resulting
average length became the butt length called for by his protocol.
When the Commission adopted a slightly modified version of the
Cambridge Filter method in 1967 for use in its newly opened cigarette testing
laboratory, it was the author's opinion that the Commission's procedures (as
implemented on the 20-port smoking machine selected by the Commission)
were clearly superior to all other methods currently in use at that time. The
FTC method had its limitations, most significantly that the information it
generated would not tell any individual smoker how much tar and nicotine
he or she would get from a particular brand of cigarette. However, there was
simply no way to get that information, and the FTC method did provide a
smoker with accurate comparative information about the relative amounts
of tar and nicotine delivered by various cigarettes when they were smoked
in precisely the same manner. In addition, it provided a uniform analytical
procedure that could be replicated in different laboratories simultaneously
and in the same laboratory over time; therefore, not only could many brands
of cigarettes be compared with each other at any time, but long-term pictures
of tar and nicotine levels over the years also were possible.
6 During the December 5-6, 1994, National Cancer Institute conference, it was learned that a
protocol using
the same parameters for the testing of cigarettes had been proposed by The American Tobacco Company
researchers many years before Dr. Ogg published his article (Bradford et al., 1936) ("arbitrarily"
selecting a
2-second, 35-mL puff once a minute, although another researcher who had studied human smoking habits
used a 40-mL puff).
11

Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph No. 7
QUESTION-AND-ANSWER SESSION
DR. HARRIS: I was curious about the very last statement on the tape: The
results are sent to the cigarette manufacturers who, in turn, report the
numbers to the Federal Trade Commission?
MR. PILLSBURY: Yes. We get the tar and nicotine data directly from the
cigarette manufacturers so that we can hold them responsible if there is
anything wrong with the numbers.
DR. HARRIS: To your knowledge, do the numbers reported under the
compulsory process by the manufacturers ever deviate from those that are
measured in the Tobacco Institute laboratory?
MR. PILLSBURY: The only thing I can tell you is that they are checked.
DR. STITZER: Could you remind us how the original Cambridge Filter
method was altered when the FTC method was developed?
MR. PILLSBURY: The original smoking machine was a four-port smoker that
used a column of water to draw from the cigarettes. When this new machine
came out, the filter pads and the holders were pretty much the same. The
only thing that has been changed is that the machine has been modified so
that carbon monoxide can be analyzed at the same time that the cigarettes
are being smoked.
DR. STITZER: So, there wasn't a puffing protocol that went along with the
original method?
MR. PEELER: We published, at the time that we adopted the method, a fairly
detailed protocol for how the test was supposed to be done. I suppose the
question is, did that protocol that we published differ from the original
method in the parameters that were required?
MR. PILLSBURY: No. They were pretty much the same as in the original
method.
DR. RICKERT: How much of a difference would you have to have in tar yields
between two brands before they would be considered to be different in the
statistical sense?
MR. PEELER: We publish the numbers and try to have a large enough sample
so that there are differences in those numbers. But the question of whether
there is a significant difference in those numbers is what we need to know
from you. 0
DR. RICKERT: What I am referring to is that on the tables in the UK there
is a footnote that reads, "Ignore differences in 2 mg in tar and CO," and I was
wondering whether that is the same sort of position that we have here?
MR. PILLSBURY: The only thing that is done is they are rounded. Five and
above are rounded up; four and down are rounded down. We make no
criteria as to whether one with 14 mg is better for you than one with 15 mg.
We are just publishing the ratings of the cigarettes as they fall.
12

Contents
Summary ................................................ 168
Question-and-Answer Session ................................ 168
References ............................................... 171
Chapter 13. Cigarette Design Technologies Reduce Smoke
Yield and Expand Consumer Choices: The Role
and Utility of the FTC Test Method .......................
173
BAckground .............................................. 173
Cigarette Design and Changes in the Cigarette Market ............ 174
Utility of the FTC Test Method ............................... 176
Question-and-Answer Session ................................ 180
References ............................................... 191
SECTION II. Transcript of Second-Day Discussion ...................... 193
SECTION III. Recommendations and Findings .......................... 239
SECTION IV. Overview of 1980 to 1994 Research Related
to the Standard Federal Trade Commission Test
Method for Cigarettes ...................................
249
Introduction .............................................. 249
Parameters of the FTC Test Method and Current
Smoking Patterns ..........................................
250
Impact of Changing Parameters of the FTC Test Method
on Absolute Yields of a Cigarette Brand and Relative Yields
of Different Brands .........................................
252
Tar and Nicotine Yield by'the FTC Test Method and
Amounts Delivered to Smoker ................................
253
Relative Yields of Different Brands by the FfC Test
Method and Amount of Nicotine Absorbed by Smokers ...........
257
Yield by the FI'C Test Method and Absorption of Nicotine
in Switchers ..............................................
259
Yields by the FTC Test Method and Other Constituents
Using FTC Puff Profile ......................................
270
Proposals To Change the FTC Test Method ..................... 273
References ............................................... 273
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