From the ArcaMax Publishing, Health & Fitness Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/healthtips/s-569139-619110
BOSTON (UPI) -- Tobacco manufacturers have continually changed the
ingredients and the design of cigarettes over time, U.S. researchers
found.
Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health said consumers were
not made aware that their brand had been altered -- changes that may
have exceeded acceptable product variance guidelines.
"I hope the Food and Drug Administration requires disclosure of any
changes made to tobacco products and that the changes are disallowed
if shown to increase appeal, addiction and harm," Greg Connolly,
director of the Tobacco Control Research Program at Harvard School of
Public Health, said in a statement.
Connolly and lead author Geoffrey Ferris Wayne studied internal
tobacco company documents released following the 1998 Master
Settlement Agreement. The documents describe significant changes made
to commercial products over time, including blend, processing, casing,
flavoring and physical design features.
For example, new methods were developed to process tobacco, altering
the smoke chemistry and the form of nicotine delivery, the study said.
"Even incremental changes that occur over a period of years can result
in significant design differences," Wayne said.
"The resulting product may have altered chemistry or delivery, yet the
smoker is largely unaware of these changes. This underscores the need
for industry transparency and accountability."
The study is published online ahead of print in the Journal of Tobacco
Control.