SMOKING AND HEALTH
QUESTIONS& ANSWERS
1. SMOKING
(a) Smokinq as the "Cause" of Lunq Cancer and
Other Diseases
Q. Does your Company accept that cigarette smoking
causes
lung cancer and other diseases?
A. We recognise that for a minority of smokers a
statistical
relationship exists and that a substantial number
of medical
authorities are of the opinion that this is a
causal relation-
ship. On the other hand some doctors and
scientific experts
have expressed doubts about this interpretation.
In our view
the issue of causation remains controversial and
unresolved.
We advocate the need for further research into the
nature of
any relationship between smoking and disease.
Q. You mention a minority of smokers. Surely all
smokers
risk injuring their health?
A. In 1962 the Royal College of Physicians in the
UK stated
that smoking was "a habit which most smokers enjoy
with-
out injury to their health" and this is still the
case.
(b) Passive Smokinq
Q. Do you not agree that passive smoking is
harmful to the
smoker?
A. In our view this appears to be an area of
exaggerated C"i
CD
concern. Many eminent doctors around the world
have
stated that there is no evidence that other people
Is smoke
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is dangerous to healthy non-smokers. Dr. C.M.
Fletcher,
in this country, and Professor Klosterk8tter in
Germany,
amongst others, hold this view.
(c) Benefits of Smokinq
Q. Are there any benefits in smoking?
A. Those who smoke certainly believe they derive
benefits
from smoking, such as relief from stress or an
increased
ability to concentrate or even mere enjoyment.
Marc
LeLoonde, Canada's Minister of National Healthq
recently
stated "smoking seems to relieve tension and
amdety and
perhaps can contribute in some measure to good
mental
health. 11
Note: If it is thought to be appropriate, it could
be added
that the U.S. Surgeon- General's Report in 1964 on
Smoking and Health stated "if the thesis is
accepted
that the fundamental nature of man will not change
significantly in the foreseeable future, it is
then safe
to predict that man will continue to utihse
pharma-
cological aids in his search for contentment."
(d) Effects of Smokina on Preqnant Mothers and
Unborn Babies
Various b odies have indicated the very serious
effects of
smoking on pregnant mothers and their unborn
babies.
What does BAT feel about this?
A. We recognise that this is an area of continuing
concern.
We welcome the research effort which is being
devoted
to it - much of which is being financed by the
industry.
On the other hand, it has never been our policy to
comment CD
on the medical advice given by doctors to their
patients.
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2. MATERIALS IN CIGARETTE SMOKE
(a) Effects of Nicotine
Q. Is nicotine harmful to the consumer?
A. There is no evidence of which we are aware that
nicotine,
in the amount absorbed and rate of intake by
smokers, is
harmful.
(b) Effects of Carbon Monoxide
Q. There is Carbon Monoxide in cigarette smoke.
Surely
this is harmful to the consumer?
A - Most people, whether they are smokers or
non-smokers,
have small amounts ofCarbon Monoxide in their
blood.
For smokers this is augmented to a small extent by
smoldng, but the increased levels which result
have
yet to be demonstrated as "harmful". In some
countries
there is a demand for cigarettes with reduced
carbon
monoxide deliveries and the industry has
responded.
Q. A recent article in Reader's Digest published
details of
the Levels of Carbon Monoxide in 20 leading
American
brands. What steps are BAT taking to reduce the
level
of Carbon Monoxide in their products?
A. We are constantly modifying our products to
ensure
they meet the changing demands of the market. TO
this end we apply the latest technology to ensure
that
our brands remain competitive.
(c) Effects of Tar
Q. Medical authorities have advocated the
reduction of "tar"
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in cigarettes. is tar in fact the harmful element?
A. Some governments, supported by medical
authorities,
advocate the reduction of tar levels in cigarettes
and,
as a consequence, some consumers have been
persuaded
that tar is the "harmful" element. Whilst we have
no
evidence, in the amounts absorbed by smokers, that
this is so, our Group has responded to the
changing
demands of consumers by offering them a wide range
oi products with varying levels of tar.
(d) Pesticides
Q. Are pesticides applied to the tobacco leaf used
in your
cigarettes? If so, is it not harmful to human
health?
A - We have no evidence that the levels of
pesticide residues
on the tobacco leaf we purchase are injurious to
health.
In some countries there is statutory control over
pest-
cides and ma.)dmum levels of residues are set but,
quite apart from this, our Group efforts are
directed
to low levels of pesticides so as to preserve the
smoking
qualities of the leaf.
(e) Radio-Active Elements
Q. It has been said that cigarette smoke contains
radio-
active elements which might be harmful. Is this
correct?
A. Cigarette smoke like milk and other food stuffs
can
contain very small traces of radio active elements
dependent upon the source of the tobaccos used in
the
blend; however I should tell you that only a very
small
minority of medical opinion is concerned about
this CD
particular point.
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3. THE PRODUCT
(a) Ciwettes as "Harmful" Products
Q. Why does your Company sell products which are
"harmful"
to health?
A. We have always maintained the issue of
causation remains
unresolved. Cigarettes are accepted by all
governments
as legally marketable products. They will
therefore
continue to be on sale to the public unless the
legal sit-
uation changes. In our view, it is in the public
interest
that they should be produced by a Group such as
ours
which has for years taken a deep interest in
smoking
and health research and has always been concerned
for
the consumer in the monitoring and modification of
its
products.
Q. A recent American study indicated that low tar
brands
were less harmful to smokers. Why do you continue
to sell brands with high tar?
A. It is our policy to provide as wide a choice as
possible
to the consumer in the products that we offer. In
the
light of all the knowledge available to the
consumer the
final choice regarding the brand that he buys must
be
his.
(b) Filters
Q. If smoking is not harmful why are cigarette
manufact-
urers using more and more sophisticated filters -
surely this is to remove or reduce elements which
you (JIJ
CD
know can harm the smoker? 7
A - The chemistry of smoke is very complex. These
new
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developments to which you refer mainly combine
high
efficiency filtration with smoke dilution and this
is
in response to the changing demands of consumers,
who are looking for brands with "lowered" tar and
acceptable taste.
(c) Reconstituted Tobacco Leaf
Q. Is it for health reasons that manufacturers
include a
percentage of reconstituted tobacco leaf in their
blends?
A. No, we use reconstituted tobacco leaf in a
number of
brands sold by our Group to achieve a higher
utilisation
of our leaf supplies. At present the proportion
used
is small and there are problems of the
acceptability
to the consumer should we use larger amounts.
kd) Air-Cured Ciqarettes
Q. Does BAT accept the theory that air-cured
cigarettes
with low sugar content are less hazardous to
health
than flue-cured cigarettes?
A. This particular theory was the subject of the
editorial
article published in The Lancet on 27th January
1973.
The concluding sentence of the editorial said
"There
is no basis for the United Kingdom Government to
recommend those who must smoke to choose cigar-
ettes made from air-cured tobacco with low-sugar
content in preference to cigarettes made from
flue-
cured tobacco
(e) "Safer" Ciqarettes
CD
Q. Do you believe that cigarettes with tobacco
substitute
ON
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smoking materials are "safer" for the consumer?
A. As far as we know no government authorities
have
endorsed these materials as "safer" for the
smoker;
and despite the extensive testing these materials
have undergone in the U.K. the Hunter Committee is
insisting on the long term monitoring of smokers
of
cigarettes containing these materials to ensure
they
suffer no health consequences.
(f) Non-Tobacco Materials
Q. What is BA T Is policy on the use of
non-tobacco mater-
ials in cigarettes?
A - Our policy is that we will only market
cigarettes con-
taining such materials if:
(i) We are satisfied that they have no dis-
advantages on health grounds.
(ii) They have been submitted to the tests
recommended by any Committees that
may be set up by Governments to advise
on the use of non-tobacco materials.
(iii) There is a sufficient demand from our
consumers to justify their inclusion on
commercial grounds.
(g) Q Is it true that cigarettes with tobacco
substitutes have
been shown to be less "harmful" than cigarettes
with
natural tobaccos?
A. Some but not all tobacco substitutes have been
shown C:)
to have a diminution in the potential for causing
tumours
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in animals but over recent years cigarette design
has
developed very significantly and today it is
possible
to produce an all-tobacco cigarette with
comparable
characteristics to those with a percentage of
tobacco
substitute in their blend.
(h) Q. Other manufacturers have introduced brands
with
tobacco substitutes - why ha sn I t BAT?
A - Our German Company introduced a brand -
Leichte
Classe - on the German market in December 1975
with a percentage of substitutes in the blend. It
did
not meet with wide consurner acceptance. It is
perhaps interesting to note that all that is
claimed
for tobacco substitutes by the manufacturers can
in
fact be achieved with natural tobaccos.
(i) Cigars
Q. Are cigars "safer" than cigarettes?
A. Whilst we don I t accept the premise that
cigarettes
are unsafe, some doctors have made this statement.
However, I should point out that cigarettes and
cigars
are smoked in different ways so it is very
difficult to
substantiate the views expressed on this issue.
4. RESE-A RC H
(a) Smoldnq and Health Research Expenditure
Q. What is the expenditure of your Group on
smoldng and
health research?
C=)
A . About Z4J million per annum on research
development
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work in this field.
(b) Experiments with Animals
Q. Is RAT engaged in experiments on animals as
part of
its smoking and health research programme?
A. Yes. We use rodents for experimental purposes.
All this work is under the strict control properly
exercised by Governments.
Q. I have read somewhere that beagles were used in
smoking experiments. Does BAT use dogs in this
inhumane way?
A - No, we don't.
Q. Is it true that beagles subjected to cigarette
smoke
have contracted lung cancer?
A. I think you are referring to the experiments
made in
the U.S.A. by Dr. Auerbach. Certain medical auth-
orities took the view that the results of these
experiments
were open to question, because some of the animals
were
infected by Lungworms, which could make the
conclusions
suspect. Moreover, it is misleading to assume any
relationship between the animal and the hLman
condition.
Q. Why do you have to use animals at all for
research into
diseases which people can avoid by giving up
smoking?
A . So long as cigarettes are legally marketable
products,
there will be smokers, and our responsibility in
the L,4
smoking and health context is to them - Animal
experi-
ments are only used by BAT when there is no
alternative
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with cqual scientific validity.
Q. I believe it has been established that the
painting of
smoke condensates on mouse skins results in
tumours.
Is this true?
A - Yes, it is a fact that if you apply heavy
concentrations
of smoke condensate to mouse skins, this can cause
the growth of tumours. But most medical
authorities
recognise no correlation has been established
between
mouse skin painting and the human condition.
(c) The Nature of Group Smokinq and Health
Research
Q. What kind of research is your Group doing on
smoking
and health?
A - Our smoking and health research covers a very
wide
field but broadly it falls into two categories.
Firstly
the comparative testing of the properties of
different
types of cigarette smoke, and secondly,
fundamental
research into biological methods to show how part-
icular components of cigarette smoke may interact
with particular biological systems.
5. ADVERTISING
(a) Ciciarette Advertisinq
Q. Does cigarette advertising increase total
consumption?
A. In our view there is no valid evidence to
support this
contention.
Q. At a recent ASH conference Dr. Bjartveit from
Norway
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stated that cigarette consumption had fallen since
advertising was banned. How do you explain this?
A. Whilst it is true Dr. Bjartveit claimed that
cigarette
consumption had fallen in Norway following a total
ban on advertising, he cautioned that the sample
used
in the survey was so small that it would be unwise
to
draw firm conclusions. In some countries, Italy
and
Singapore for example, where there is no
advertising
cigarette consumption has continued to rise.
Q. Advertising influences people to choose a
particular
brand and thus in a sense harms them?
A. Smoking is an adult choice. We have always
taken
the attitude that it is sensible for consumers to
exer-
cise moderation in smoking , as in other things.
Our
advertising does not encourage smoking to excess
or
children to smoke.
(b) Advertisinq/Smokinq and Health Expenditure
Q. Why does the Industry spend much more on
advertis-
ing than smoking and health research?
A. A comparison of the two figures is really
irrelevant.
Advertising expenditure is related to the
competitive
situation in the market in any free enterprise
country.
Smoking and health research is related to the
identi-
fication of research projects which are considered
by
our scientists to be of real value in solving the
problem
and we have always been willing to finance such
projects.
(c) TV and Radio CD
Q. Why are you so reluctant to nominate a company
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representative to appear on TV or radio smoldng
and
health programmes?
A. Because the experience of the Industry has been
that
such programmes are not objective in their
approach
to the subject.
6. ADDICTION
(a) Marijuana
Q. What would your attitude be if Marijuana were
to be
legalised?
A - This is a hypothetical question. It seems
doubtful
on present evidence that any government will
legal-
ise it in the foreseeable future.
(b) Tobacco Addiction
Q. Dr. David Owen, when he was the U.K. Minister
for
Health, stated that smoldng is addictive. Do you
admit that t1is is so?
A. Certainly not. The Surgeon-General I s Report
on
Smoking and Health published in the U. S.A. in
1964
states:
"The tobacco habit should be characterized
as an habituation rather than an addiction" -
4.4.77.
CD
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