FTC wants to end tar-nicotine statements

WASHINGTON, July 8 (UPI) -- The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is proposing rescinding statements concerning cigarette tar and nicotine yields that are based on a 1966 test.

The Cambridge Filter Method, to which the FTC now objects, refers to a machine-based testing method that "smokes" cigarettes to determine tar and nicotine levels.

At the time the FTC issued its guidance, in 1966, most public health officials believed reducing the amount of tar produced by a cigarette could reduce a smoker's risk of lung cancer. The FTC said it then believed giving consumers uniform, standardized information about tar and nicotine yields of cigarettes would help them make informed decisions about which cigarettes they smoked.

"Today, however, the scientific consensus is that machine-based measurements of tar and nicotine yields based on the Cambridge Filter Method do not provide meaningful information … on the relative amounts of tar and nicotine they are likely to receive from smoking different brands of cigarettes," the FTC said in a statement. "The primary reason for this is smoker compensation -- that is, smokers alter their smoking behavior in order to obtain the necessary nicotine dosage."

Public comments may be submitted before Aug. 12 at https://secure.commentworks.com/ftc-CigaretteTestMethod.