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ASH Daily News

7 November 2005

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HEADLINES

BAT to launch 'safe cigarette'

Safe cigarettes - no such thing

BAT plays down reports of safer cigarettes

David Hockney shows typical smoker's denial

Imperial's healthy share value

FULL TEXT

BAT to launch 'safe cigarette'


The Sunday Times reports that British American Tobacco (BAT) is set to launch a controversial "safe cigarette" which is claimed to reduce the risk of smoking-related diseases such as cancer and heart failure by up to 90%. The cigarettes use "trionic" filters which are three layers that remove different sets of toxic compounds, while still allowing nicotine to enter the lungs. BAT also claims to have improved the way it dries tobacco leaves to reduce cancer-causing toxins when burnt.

John Britton, professor of epidemiology at Nottingham University, said: "Anything involving inhaling smoke is unsafe. These new cigarettes could be more like jumping from the 15th floor instead of the 20th: theoretically the risk is less but you still die."

These cigarettes would also not prevent passive smoking. Deborah Arnott, Director of ASH, said: "Cigarette smoke contains about 4,000 different chemicals, many of which are toxic. These filters and tobaccos can make no more than a marginal difference."

David Betteridge, BAT spokesperson, said the company accepted there was "no such thing" as a truly safe cigarette and that the best way to minimise risk was to stop smoking.

The Sunday Times 6/11/05 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1859508,00.html



Safe cigarettes - no such thing


Editorial by The Sunday Times

Ever since America's surgeon-general confirmed the link between cigarette smoking and cancer, more than four decades ago, the tobacco industry has had a problem. How could it continue to increase sales of a product known to contribute significantly to the risk of a painful death? One route has been to target the ignorant. Cigarette firms have deliberately aimed their marketing at youngsters in the Third World, catching them early so that they can feed their addiction for years to come. Even in Britain, despite or even perhaps because of the health warnings, 450 children take up smoking every day.

The other route has been to try to develop the holy grail of the tobacco industry - the safe cigarette. In the 1970s, when the government began publishing tables that distinguished between low, medium and high-tar brands, the companies responded with an aggressive push on low-tar cigarettes. Any health benefits were, however, neutralised by the fact that smokers, desperate for their nicotine fix, responded by smoking more of the low-tar variety and inhaling more deeply on them. So the search went on. In the mid-1980s the smoking world was lit up with rumours of the imminent launch of 100% safe synthetic cigarettes.

Now, as we report today, British American Tobacco has a new wheeze, no pun intended. It is to launch a safer cigarette that will "look and taste like a normal cigarette", using tobacco treated to produce lower levels of the cancer-causing chemicals. The aim is to cut the risk of smoking-related diseases such as cancer and heart disease by up to 90%. Should we light up a celebratory fag and toast BAT's ingenuity? No. According to one consultant in respiratory medicine, the new cigarette will be the equivalent of jumping from the 15th rather than the 20th floor; it will still kill you. ASH points out that cigarette smoke contains 4,000 different chemicals, many of which are toxic. The truth is simple, if unpalatable for smokers: there is no such thing as a safe cigarette and there never will be.

The Sunday Times 6/11/05 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2088-1859388,00.html




BAT plays down reports of safer cigarettes


British American Tobacco (BAT) played down claims yesterday that it is due to launch a 'safe' cigarette. Emily Brand, of BAT, said that company had a program of research to look for ways to reduce the harm caused by cigarettes but that "in terms of global launch brands or products that we can put hand on heart and say that it is safer, we just don't have that."

Smokers should remember that we've been here before. The introduction of low tar cigarettes in the 70's was couched in similar revolutionary terms. In 2002 Dr Chris Proctor, former head of Science and Research at BAT said "There's no such thing as a safe cigarette. I'm pretty sure we'll see products coming along... that are trying to make steps towards less risk, but we're still talking about something that is going to be very dangerous."

"Anything combustible causes harm," Amanda Sandford from ASH said "like when you stick your head over a bonfire, if you smoke a cigarette, you'll damage your lungs - and if you do it often enough, you'll get cancer or heart disease or both. I don't deny they can't take some of the toxins out, but there are 60 chemicals in tobacco smoke that cause cancer. As far as I know, it's impossible to remove them all."

The Guardian 7/11/05 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2088-1859388,00.html and: http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1635779,00.html

Further reports
The Sun 7/11/05 http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2005510637,,00.html

Daily Mail 7/11/05 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=367778&in_page_id=1774

The Daily Mirror 7/11/05 http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/tm_objectid=16340484%26method=full%26siteid=94762-name_page.html




David Hockney shows typical smoker's denial


In denying that his heart problems had anything to do with cigarettes, David Hockney shows the muddled thinking typical of smokers - smoking it the main contributing cause of heart disease. Dr Chris Sait, Norwich.

Letter to the Editor, Independent on Sunday 6/11/05




Imperial's healthy share value


In September Imperial Tobacco made pre-tax profits of £1,25bn. Which is twice the figure of four years ago and the dividend has doubled as well. This is a business supposedly hammered by smoking bans, punitive taxes and constant litigation.

Historically Imperial was confined to the UK market but in the 1990s the situation was transformed and new markets opened such as Poland, Russia and China. Western governments also privatised formerly state-owned tobacco companies and Imperial was able to acquire the best of these including Reemtsma of Germany in 2002. Imperial market share has also increased from 38 per cent in five years to 45 per cent today. Imperial's revenues (excluding duty) have quadrupled in the past 10 years.

The Sunday Telegraph 6/11/05

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Sarah Ward
Information Manager
Action on Smoking & Health (ASH)
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