MEETING WITH THE BMA DOCTORS
25 SEPTEMBER 1980, AT GR&DC, SOUTHAMPTON
PRESENT: Sir John Stallworthy (Chairman
Dr H M White
Mr K C McKeown
Professor T Oppe
Dr J A Hicklin
Dr P J Hoyte
Professor P Quilliam
Dr F 0 Wells
Miss R L Weston (Secretary of Committee)
Mr C H Stewart Lockhart
Mr M J Leach
Dr L C F Blackman
Dr D G Felton
Mr A L Heard
Dr C I Ayres
Dr R Binns
Dr R E Thornton
The meeting started with Dr Blackman explaining
the role,
scope and organisation of the BAT Southampton
laboratories
both generally in terms of technological support
for the
Group world-wide, and specifically in respect of
the work
orientated towards the much discussed health
issue.
The fundamental philosophy behind tobacco research
is that a
great many people wish to smoke - for reasons that
are not
fully quantified but which certainly include a
diverse range
of perceived pleasures and benefits - and the
cigarette
industry sees that its duty is to provide
consumers with a
wide range of products so that they may choose the
products
that they like.
The cigarette industry worldwide began to
undertake serious
research around the 1950's, partly but by no means
wholly, as
a direct consequence of the beginnings of medical
comment
regarding the alleged health risks of smoking. It
was self-
evident that, irrespective of whether or not the
alleged
association of risk was proven, attempts should be
made to
reduce or eliminate those components in smoke that
were
alleged to be harmful.
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Filters, which had first been introduced largely
for cosmetic
reasons, suggested the first practical approach.
At a later
stage, various means were developed to introduce
air into the
smoke to dilute the concentration of components
such as tar,
nicotine, carbon monoxide: the first stage was the
use of
paper of higher permeability and, much more
recently, came
the use of ventilation holes (or perforation) in
the filter
tipping .
As a result, over the last 25 years or so, while
the cigarette
has changed very little from the visual point, the
smoke
deliveies, in both quantity and quality, have
changed
significantly.
in view of the tremendous effort that has been
necessary to
bring about these changes, it is highly
encouraging to note
the increasing epidemiological evidence that lends
support
to the basic hypothesis, advanced by the
medical/scientific
opinion, that lower delivery cigarettes have a
weaker
association with those illnesses that have become
to be
associated with smoking.
It would be wrong, of course, to suggest that the
association
of risk with cigarette delivery has been proven -
and indeed,
as referred to earlier, there continues to be a
number of
eminent scientists who contest the very basis of
the alleged
association. Nevertheless, BAT, and industry
generally, have
responded to the allegations by pursuing in a most
serious
way the reduction of smoke deliveries. To a
significant
degree the rate-determining factor is the choice
of the
consumer. In the more advanced countries, movement
has
already been marked; in other countries,
especially developing
countries, the move to date has been less marked
but BAT is
taking positive action to speed up the change.
Although the reason is well understood why the
cigarette
industry worldwide has tended to say little on the
subject of
smoking and health, BAT certainly believes that
there should
be more communication of the facts regarding how
the cigarette
has changed and how the medical evidence is
supporting that
change. By definition, epidemiological evidence is
a long-
term exercise and the present encouraging signs
relate mainly
to the earlier change to filter cigarettes
(1960's) rather
than to the more recent move towards ventilated
filter
products. While it may take many years yet to have
CD
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the expected evidence
extremely encouraging
further weakening of
disease.
L C F BLACKMAN
related to the latter, the signs are
that it will point to a significant
the alleged association of smoking and
ON
BATCo document for Province of BrItiSh COIUMbia 5
November 1999