RESTRIC
2 C -111L
ACK
FILE
National Cancer Institute
TDB
Smoking and Health Program REAWIG r-ILE
High Nicotine/Tar, Low Tar Cigarettes
Minutes of Meeting C1rir-'tJLATED
May 5, 1975
ATTENDEES
Dr. Gio B. Gori, National C---ncer Institute
Mr. Howard Halter, AMF Incorporated
Dr. 1. W. Hughes, Brown & llilliamson Tobacco
Corp.
,,~Dr. Charles Keith, Celanes; Fibers Company
Dr. Charles Mattina, Peter J. Schweitzer
Mr. William Metscher, Enviro Control, Inc.
Dr. Thomas Osdene, Philip ',';.-rris, U.S.A.'
Dr. Thomas B. Owen, National Cancer Institute
Dr. Murray Senkus, R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
Dr. A. W. Spears, Lorillard
Dr. T. C. Tso, U.S. Depart;7.ant of Agriculture
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National Cancer Institute
Smoking and Health Program
High Nicotine/Tar, Low Tar Cigarettes
Minutes of Meeting
May 5, 1976
PURPOSE OF MEETING
Dr. Gori a-,ked the consultants to consider the
feasibility of
producing a cigarette yielding a tar/nicotine
ratio below 10. Since
nicotine may play a significant role as a
determinant of smoking
behavior and also contritutes to the organoleptic
qualities of the
smoke, it is necessary to consider this additional
approach to the
less -hazardous cigarette, i.e., a low
tar/nicotine ratio, low tar
cigarette.
DISCUSSION
Discussion centered on the following
considerations: 1) feasi-
-bility.and desirability of developing cigarettes
with tar/nicotine
ratios less than 1.0, 2) methods for making such
cigarettes, 3) the
nature of the nicotine used and delivered, 4) the
role of basic
extenders in influencing nicotine form and
efficiency of delivery,
5) the safety of extenders, 6) the control of
dust, 7) recommended
tests. The discussions on each point are
summarized below.
Feasibility and Desirability
It was the consensus of the group that an effort
to produce and
test cigarettes with tar/nicotine ratios of less
than 10 is valuable
and should be conducted. In view of the
manipulatory potential of
reconstituted sheet technclogy, such cigarettes
are feasible. It was
noted that there is currertly at least one low
tar, low nicotine
cigarette on the market which has a tar/nicotine
ratio of 10.
The source of the nicotine was questioned. Dr. Tso
stated that
the source could be a high-nicotine tobacco
variety. The maximum
nicotine content is 70 and although such tobacco
also produces a
great deal of tar it could serve as a nicotine
source. The tar is
not a problem if such tobacco is stripped and
suitable quantities
of the removed nicotine are added back to a
modified tobacco sheet.
Extenders could also be used to reduce tar levels.
Methods *
Two distinct methods were discussed:
1) Use of special tobacco
2) Use of modified tobacco sheet technology
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As Dr. Tso indicated, a high nicotine, high tar
tobacco could
Possibly deliver a tar/nicotine ratio of less than
10. The discussion
then focused on the question of the tar quantity
as well as the magni-
tude of the ratio. This then led to a discussion
of modified tobacco
sheet enriched in nicotine salts obtained from
tobacco inputed to
sheet making processes.
Nicotine Nature and Delivery
This was the pivitol issue discussed at the
meeting. Nicotine
has the greatest pharmacologic activity when it is
in the free base
f ovm. The base form is also the "distillable"
form which readily
transfers to cigarette smoke. It was suggested
that the form of
the nicotine could be critical in a) efficiency of
transfer to
smoke as ba-se nicotine with -minima'
transf~rmaticn to "tar" and
b) Physiological impact v.,hich depends on the
base/salt nicotine
ratio in the smoke aerosol (the base/diprotic salt
ratio has a
logarithmic dEpendence on smoke pH and the two
pKb's for nicotine).
The question of which salt to add to the modified
sheet was also
raised. Ni:otine citrate and tartrate vter.=
mentioned (other less
acceptable ralts include the acetate, oxal;-te,
and some other nicotina-
salts of garboxylic acids).
Nicotine Delivery
The question of form led directly to a discussion
of n cotine
delivery in the presence of inorganic extenders.
Dr. Keith stated
.that calcium carbonate tends to favor conversion
of nicotine salts
to base nicc-tine. Mr. Halter and Dr. Mattina
indicated that nicotine
loss via conversion to base before smoking
appeared to be negligible.
The consensus was that basic extenders (e.g.,
CaC03, MgC03, etc.)
should imprcve nicotine delivery (note: this seems
to be observed
in Code No. 27, Series IV).
Dr. Gori brought up the possibility of using
metallic fibers
or other thermaily conductive extenders to
decrease the steepness
of the temperature gradient and thereby enhance
nicotine delivery
to the smoke. Aluminum was mentioned as a
possibility, but potent..Zli
-generation of A1203 was considered to be
detrimental to its usefulnisi.
Safety
If extenders are to be used to reduce tar and
increase nicot.:-.:
delivery efficiency they must be safe ar,.d.5hould
not produce a
hazardous dust or toxic products. This restriction
elimirtlto-~
glaiTe7s-,-sf'licates, aluminas, etc... but leaves
cal~~Jum and
oxides, hydroxides and caiE-RuQRates. CarbonEtes
ari the most
of these can-a-Mates in terms of stability,
availability and
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Y
Dusts
-Carbonate dusts must be controlled during
cigarette manufacture
and during cigarette smoking. It was suggested
that this could be
done through the u5e of appropriate particle sizes
and cigarette
filters. It was also mentioned that abrasive
materials could cause
-rapid wear of production equipment.
The meeting was concluded with the following
recommendations:
I. Prepare draft protocol citing variants wi *th
tar/nicotine
ratios belo~.,i 10 and using the most appropriate
exterders.
2.' Determine physical properties of cigarettes
and perform
chemical analyses including a) nicotine, b) "tar".
c) pli
I
of whole smoke, and d) nicotine species
distributions.
3. Circulate protocol to participants for
additional suggestions
and recommendations.
Draft protocol is included in Section 3 of "New
Experimental Cigarettes.,,
SUMMARY PROTOCOL
1. Strip-tobacco of water solubles and ether
extractables.
2. Isolate the nicotine as nicotine citrate (or
other salts
if this is desired)-and add back later or use
commercial
nicotine salt and stripped tobacco.
3. Build cigarettes as in the attached protocol.
4. Determine nicotine, tar, pH and nicotine
species distribution.
5. Based on results obtained under 4, design
additional cigarettes
for further study, i.e., different types and
levels of nicotine
salts and different types and levels of extenders.
:t may
also be desir;ble to attempt to increase (or
decrease) the pH
of the mainstream smoke at this decision point.
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