TDB
READING FILE
CIRCULATED
SMOKING PRODUCTS RESEARCH
PROGRESS REPORT : SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER, 1975
RESTRICTED
COPY NO:
cr,
BATCo document for Province of British Columbia 27
October '1999
AUTHOR: C.I. Ayres
ISSUED BY: F. Haslam
DATE: 31.12.1975
DISTRIBUTION:
Dr. S.J. Green Copy No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Dr. I.W. Hughes 7
Dr. R.A. Sanford 8, 9
R.M. Gibb, Esq. 10
R.S. Wade, Esq. 11,
R.G. Nicholls, Esq. 13
Herr H. Sottorf 14
Dr. F. Seehofer 15
A.J. Kruszynski, Esq. 16
Dr. C.J.P. de Siqueira 17
Dr. D.G. Felton is
Dr. F. Haslam 19
File 38A 20, 21


Group Research & Development Centre,
British-American Tobacco Co. Ltd.,
SOUTHAMPTON.
CIA/JP/38A. 31st December, 1975.
SMOKING PRODUCTS RESEARCH
PROGRESS REPORT : SEPT-:,MRFR - DECEMBEli, 1975
RESTRICTED
INTERNAL PROJECT WORK
(1) Interaction of Smoke and the Smoker
There are many occupations - such as checking for
defects in
manufactured articles, long-distance driving,
proof-reading, sonar
or radar monitoring - in which the operator is
faced for a long
period of time with a task which is largely
straightforward and is
not over-demanding. As interest wanes and
attention wanders,
errors occur - i.e. there is a decrement in the
efficiency of
performance. These tasks are of sufficient social,
industrial
and military concern to warrant a special
description, and are
referred to as "vigilance tasks".
It has been shown that a stimulus, which may be
quite un-
connected with the act of performing the task, can
have the effect
of rest;ring the level of efficiency of the
operator. Smoking
might be one way of offering such a stimulus and,
as such, the
effect might be classified as one.of the
"benefits" of smoking.--
If the effect of smoking on "performance
decrement" could bqP
c7 N
measured in the laboratory, then we would have
another way of %-0
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BATCo document for Province of BritiSh Columbia 27
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studying the interaction of smoke and the smoker.
Unfortunately,
as is described in a recent report (13), our
attempts at laboratory
measurement were largely unsuccessful. Monitoring
performance on
a vigilance task over a period of one hour did not
yield reliable
and reproducible measurement of a decrease in
efficiency. The
use of much longer monitoring periods was not
consistent with our
desire for a simple laboratory technique.
(2) Sensory and Preference Testing
As has been reported earlier, one approach to the
modification
of the puff number of a cigarette is to use a
cigarette paper which
has alternate bands of high and low porosity.
Visually, there
appeared to be a reduction in the amount of
side-stream smoke
produced. It has now been confirmed (23) by a
subjective assess-
ment by d panel that the level of irritation of
the side-stream
smoke is reduced.
In a different area, attention was drawn (19) to
the possibility
of producing a cheaper mentholated cigarette by
the direct incorpora-
tion into the blend of dried Japanese mint leaves.
(3) Cigarettes and Filters
In accordance with the guide-lines provided by the
Independent
Scientific Committee on Smoking and Health (Hunter
Committee), two
reports were produced which gave the smoke
chemistry results
obtained from cigarettes containing BATFLAKE MK II
and a flue-cured
blend (22) or an American-type blend (24).
Hoff~ann has reported the presence of
N'-nitrosonornicotine
in both cigarette smoke and tobacco. In view of
the potential
carcinogenic activity of this compound, and the
possibility thatc:::>
it may be formed from nicotine or nornicotine, it
is important to(D-,
understand to what extent a problem exists. In
broad terms our %.D
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initial results (5) support "he claim made by
Hoffmann that
cigarette smoke contains a low level of
nitrosonornicotine. For
a more detailed study, however, the precision of
the analytical
method needs to be improved. An edited version (6)
of the
report was forwarded to the Tobacco Resbarch
Council.
Hoffmann has also reported the presence of vinyl
chloride
in cigarette smoke. Consequently, an edited
version (1) of an
earlier report of our own work in vinyl chloride
was also forwarded
to the Tobacco Research Council.
Progrdss has been made towards producing
cigarettes with low
deliveries of carbon monoxide (9). By using an
experimental
cigarette paper, unfortunately not yet
commercially available,
a cigarette was made which had a nicotine delivery
of approximately
lmg, but a carbon monoxide delivery of only 3mg.
The usual
delivery of carbon monoxide would be 12-15mg.
Further reports have been issued which are
concerned with two
filter developments. By using carbon granules
coated with a
particular polymer, a filter can be made which
retains its
efficiency for the removal of volatile smoke
constituents such as
aldehydes, but which does not give rise to the
usual degree of
.off-flavour" in the smoke. Further work (12) was
undertaken to
determine the optimum level of the coating and to
extend the range
of polymers which produced the desired effect. The
original
polymer supplied by Smith & Nephew is the most
effective material
examined to date. Additional work (2) was also
undertaken on
filters containing Lewatit, an ion-exchange resin
with a similar
aim of optimising the use of the material.
Measurements of the weight of smoke particulate
matter
required to markedly increase the pressure drop of
a Cambridge
filter on which the condensate has been collected,
known as the
Camver TPM, have been shown to be simple and
reproducible. They C--:)
constitute a physical test which is influenced by
the chemistru, (:,.::)
.1 C,
of the smoke immediately after it leaves the
cigarette and, for
BATCO document for Province of BritiSh Columbia 27
October 1999


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this reason, might reflect aspects of the smoke
which are important
to the consumer. Results were obtained f or nearly
ninety European
cigarette brands (7) but it is not possible to
determine unequivo-
cally whether Camver measurements can provide a
reliable indication
of smcke characteristics and market trends not
deducible from
other =easurements. A way forward would be to
introduce this
type cf measurement into the routine Brand
Analysis and accumulate
results over a period of time.
As part of our programme of work on understanding
the detailed
processes which occur when a cigarette is smoked,
a mathematical
model of tobacco pyrolysis was undertaken (10).
Several assumptions
were =ade in deriving the reaction parameters and
the validity of
these assumptions will now be checked by comparing
the predictions
from the model with results obtained by direct
experiment. Some
of our earlier work on the temperature variations
within a burning
cigarette has been published recently (31).
(4) revelopment of Techniques
A report has been issued on the determination of
ammonia in
side-stream smoke (20). Ammonia is a possible
irritant and the
yield to side-stream smoke is relatively high when
compared to
the level present in the mainstream smoke.
SERVICE WORK TO R. & D.
(1) Prodilct Development Laboratory
The oil-water partition scan continues to be a
useful tech-
nique in the examination of competitors' brands.
Reports have c::)
0-1
been .2ssued which cover our examination of
cigarettes from West __0
Germany (4) , Switzerland (4, 29) , South Africa
(16, 30) and Brazil
BATCO document for Province of British Columbia 27
October 1999


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ADVISORY AND EXTERNAL SERVICES WORK
As part of our programme to provide information on
the
microbiological quality of the major leaf types
used by I.E.D.,
samples have been examined from Pakistan (21),
korea (26),
Canada (27) and Thailand (28). Samples of oriental
leaf were
also examined (25).
In response to requests, investigations were made
intc the
mould growth of some stored tobacco (18) , the
sources of therino-
philic actinomycetes on flue-cured leaf (15) and
cause of s::me
damage to cigars (14).
. In 1974 it was reported that substances whicIr
occur in and
on the leaves of Nicotiana gZutinosa have
antifungal propert.-ies.
The original work appeared to be of little more
than acadezm~c
interest but, more recently, one of the compounds
isolated was
shown to possess properties which might form the
basis of a new
class of fungicides. From our examination (17),
however, there
is little prospect of obtaining useful antifungal
compounds from
waste tobacco.
Fungi of the AspergilZus fZavus group are
frequently p=esent
on samples of tobacco. Certain fungi of this group
are of con-
siderable public health significance in view of
their abilitv to
produce carcinogenic substances, aflatoxins. It is
known that
these substances are destroyed during the smoking
of cigarettes
and are unlikely to present a danger to the
smoker. Neverth-a less,
in view of the notoriety of aflatoxins, it is
clearly desirable
for the level on our products to be at a minimum.
An identilication
of fungi of the AspergiUus flavus group from
tobacco was under-
taken (11). The best safeguard against the
presence of aflatoxins
and other undesirable metabolites from fungi in
our products is
the advice given earlier on this subject:
raould-damaged leaf shotma
not be used in our products, and mould growth
should not be allowelD
to develop either in storage or processing areas.
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Finally, in.a. more speculative area, a progress
report (3)
has been issued on our work on culture of tobacco
roots grown
in isolation from the rest of the plant. In
principle it is
technically feasible to obtain a nicotine-rich
tobacco-based
material which could be incorporated into
cigarettes.
REPORTS
1. RD.1209-A Restr. Vinyl Chloride - Progress
Report 1
2. RD.1255-R Lewatit Resin in Cigarette Filters
3. RD.-1256-R Isolated Tobacco Root Culture and
Nicotine
Biosynthesis Progress Report
4. RD.1263-R Oil/Water Partition Scan Examination
of
some Low Delivery Brands from West Germany
and Switzerland
5. RD.1265 Restricted Analysis of
N'-Nitrosonornicotine in
Cigarette Smoke - Progress Report
6. RD.1265-A Restr. Analysis of
N'-Nitrosonornicotine in
Cigarette Smoke - Progress Report
7. RD.1267 Restricted Measurement of Camver TPM on
the Smoke
from Eighty-six European Cigarette Brands
8. RD.1~70 Restricted An Examination of Marlboro
(Brazil)
9. RD.1271 Restricted Cigarettes-with Low Carbon
Monoxide
Deliveries
10. RD.1274 Unclass. Mathematical Model of Tobacco
Pyrolysis '-.0
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all
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11. RD.1279 Restricted
12. RD.1287 Restricted
13. R.D.1291 Restricted
14. RD.1292 Restricted
15. RD.1296 Restricted
Identification of Fungi of the AspergiUus
FZavus Group from Tobacco
The Carbon Diffusion Filter: Part IV
(Coated Carbons)
Vigilance and Signal Detection Studies:
Progress Report
Mould Damage in Cigars
Sources of Thermophilic Actinomycetes
in Flue-Cured Leaf
16. RD.1299 Restricted Examination of South
African Brands
17. RD.1303 Unclassif. An Examination of Tobacco
Extracts for
Antifungal Activity
18. RD.1208 Restricted Investigation of Mould
Growth on Stored
Leaf
19. L.492-R. Incorporation of Dried Japanese Mint
Leaves into Cigarettes
20. L.493 Unclassified Determination of Ammonia in
Side-Stream
Smoke
21. L.495 Restricted Microbiological Examination
of Pakistan
Tobacco, Grade PK1, 1974 Crop
22. L.496 Restricted BATFLAKE MK.II: Flue-Cured
Blends
Smoke Chemistry
23. L.497 Restricted Side-stream Smoke from
Cigarettes of
Variable Porosity Paper
24. L.498 Restricted BATFLAKE MK.II: American-Type
Blends
Smoke Chemistry
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BATCO document for Province of BritiSh Columbia 27
October 1999


25. L.500 Restricted The Microbiological
Examination of
Oriental Tobacco: 1972 and 1973 Crops
26. L.501 Restricted Microbiological Examination
of Re-Dried
Leaf: Korean Lamina, 1974 Crop
27. L.502 Restricted Microbiological Examination
of Re-Dried
Leaf: Canadian Lamina and Stem, 1974 Crop
28. L.504 Restricted Microbiological Examination
of Re-Dried
Leaf: Thailand Flue-Cured 1974 Crop
29. PDL Memorandum No. 75-11-012 Restricted
30. PDL Memorandum No. 75-12-071 Restricted
31. R.R. Baker "Temperature Variation Within a
Cigarette
Combustion Coal during the Smoking Cycle":
High Temperature Science 7 236 (1975)
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BATCO document for Province of BritiSh Columbia 27
October 1999