Group Conference an Smoking Issues - London
29.3.88
Outline of talk by A. L. Heard
Group R&D Activtti.es in :-esponse to
recommendations of Regulatory
Bodies
The initiatives agreed at the Chairman's CAC
conference in
1983 focussed very much on epideminlogical issues.
It was
understood that these initiatives were in addicion
to the Group
Research activicies. My talk will cover the
latter.
For all our Group R&D projects we have gone to
some lengths to
decide the business obJe:t1ve that is being
addressed. In the S&K
area we are responding to, or anticipating
requirements of,
Regulatory Authorities. By this term we mean chose
authorities,
officia L or unoff icia L that advise Government,
lead to legis lacion
or influence public opinion and thus, our
consumer.
(A summary of important recent reports from
Regulatory
Authorities published will be given.)
In terms of the association between active smoking
and
disease, little new has emerged in these reports,
although some
anti-smoking organisations are carrying out or
funding research
into mechanisms of diseases such as lung cancer.
The American
Health Foundation, for instance, has a substantial
progracme of
research into tobacco specific nitrosamLnes,
including their
possible role in altering genetic material. Under
the auspices of
Group R&D we fund fundamental research into
mechanisms of
smoking-associaced diseases and several reputable
medical
departments/institutes.
The major theme, however, of the reports from
Regulatory
Bodies is related to Environmental Tobacco Smoke;
in some it is
the only theme.
1. Environmental Tobacco Smoke
This last year has seen considerable escalation of
the Passive
Smoking problem, with extensive coverage in both
popular and
scientific publications. The anti-smoking lobby
seera to have
switched their attention almost totally to this
subject,
trading on the emotive issues of the effect of
smokers on the
non-smoker.
These have drawn various conclusions about
possible
associations between ETS and disease,
notwithstanding the
frailty of epidemiological techniques In this
area. The task
of challenging epideniology will be covered by Dr.
Thornton.
It is important to focus on the misapprehensions
surrounding
ETS since these are proving a source of erroneous
conclusions
by those pressurislnz to restrict smokers'
freedoms.
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One :=~ortant source of error in many external
pt;blicatto:~4
stenQ from the assumption that daca measured on
cigarette
Sid=-=:ream smoke can be used directly to describe
ambient
smc .--e concentrations and composition. In fact,
EIS is qu"-e
di-farent from SS. The very act of dilution of SS
leads :2
che-:--*cal changes; we also have shown that
chemical reacti:ns
occ--::- in the ETS for some time after the
cigaretce has be=_7
exzinzu,ished. The deposition of smoke particles
on surfaces
is zz:~erally ignored in the poor studies chat so
often
gen-27--te media interest. Nicotine often used as
a marker fir
cizare-ce smoke has been shown by BAT work to be
50% lo-e7 Lin
ETS :han in the SS equivalent and decays very
rapidly. T~ ',
use T' SS values for nicotine as a basis of
extrapolation to
human uptake from ETS is quite wrong.
ETS -s widely portrayed as a major pollutant in
domestic,
.or...'ng and social situations. Our research is
gathering =aca
to h-2*-:) set ETS in context in this respect.
Background 1e :els
in 7:~::-smoking situations for CO, NO ,
hydrocarbons have
been found which equate to measured fevels fro.
2-8 cigare::es
in an average room.
We have surreptiously monitored nicotine in a
variety of
situs:ions where smoking ias recorded and found
generally L,)w
concentrations (3-38 ug/ Other materials (from
cookinz,
poliz_'-, etc.) made a considerably greater
contribution to :he
ove:z-:: burden.
Robe7:in has stressed the relatively minor role of
ETS in the
so-c-z:-'ed "sick-building" syndrome.
In =:s: studies on ETS, there is, for instance, no
knowlez-ge
of d:ce whatsoever beyond noting that individuals
are marr--'ad
to a Smokers.
In tarms of direct measurement of human dose, the
problem :f
finding an appropriate marker for ETS remains key.
In our
future ork, we shall aim for true particulate
markers
(remember nicotine chemicals are being gathered).
It is --iorth noting that CORESTA, the official
scientific b:-;y
of t-.e Tobacco Industry, has set up task forces
to define
means of measuring both SS and ETS and, at least
in this a7ia,
the =rincipal cigarette manufacturers are so far
pulling
toge:*-er.
Publications
The -c*:)acco Industry is by no means silent on
the issue of
pass4ve smoking and ETS. RJR and Philip Morris are
both vary
act'Ve In the scientific area.
BAT is similarLv active. ;e
have :~,ree recent publications including one pape
r g iven I= a
key conference in Tokyo last year. Three more
papers a re
about to be published based on BAT research and .e
sh.1 1
present the keynote talk at a conference on Indoo
r Air Qua:-:ty
in Landon this year.
The TAC has produced special publications on the
general a=_~
scientific aspects of ETS. Very recently having
seen the
draft of the 4th Report of ISC, TAC -Iled a
meeting ich
Minister of Heal- to p-t-r. the r r a-cience and
the
prop-.~sed anti-s- - It- !.-,.Vos- those
responsible for
the re7att and fv,
BATCo document for Province of British Columbia 28
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Future Work
Strategic ob.fectives:-
The overall cl~-jectives for the BAT Group Work
Programme on ETS
were formula-ei at the meeting in Montreal in
November L987:
1. To set F-75 in perspective by providing
meaningful
scientif`c data.
2. To refuge Inaccurate statements made about ETS.
3. To identify and, if possible, mintmise
subjective
annoyance either through cigarette design options
or by
non-cigarette solutions (i.e. ventilation, etc.)
4. To be a~::e to communicate a company view on
ETS.
2. Product Modi~ications
The Regulator-, Bodies consider product
modification policy
successful. They conclude that lower delivery is
responsible
for reduction in lung cancer (ignoring
compensation,
conveniently).
They are no. sidressing further modifications
required. As an
example the ISC identifies:
1. Mainstream - tar/nicotine
2. E - T . S -
So far we, and the Industry in general, have
pursued an
Evolutionary apprcach, certainly In terms of
overall deliveries.
In terms of mains:ream, as overall deliveries have
fallen, the
tar/nicotine ratic has also fallen gradually.
Attempts at
cigarette modifica:ion to reduce visible SS have
rested on novel
cigarette tissue but total SS can be reduced
simply by reducing
tobacco weight burned.
The announceneat by RJR that they propose to
launch a
smokeless cigarec:e stakes out a totally
Revolutionary approach by
this company.
A summary of key points relating to this product
will be
given.
BAT Responses
BAT has launc-ed a project In B&W, the aim of
which is to
define a smokeless product (but kith some
improvements over the
Reynolds' concep:) by late 198 Group fuodlag f-
1988 amounts
to Z-5 mn. If this explor- -t is .;.,--ce--- .
this will
lead to a very lar3e commitm, ea,,L ver 4 years to
cover R&D/capir,tl cost to test L ;.tag". is our
Revoluttonar-- -oach
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We also see opportunities
based on rapid extrapolation
a product with very low ta:,
quality. A project has been
lines and a budget of L-5 =n
again, significant resources
successful.
in an Evolutionary approach but
from today's position. We anticipate
normal nicotine and with improved tar
initiated at Southampton along these
for 1988 has been agreed. Once
will be required if this project is
For both of these projects, the potential of
tobacco
biotechnology to create S12nificantly different
tobacco varieties
could be an Important dimer-cion.
ALH/DE-
16 th Plarch 1988
C:
N.:
BATCo document for Province of British Columbia 28
October 1999


Group Conference on Smoking Issues - 29th Match
1988
Attendees:
P Sheeh-.- B.A.T Industries
S 2 Chalfen B.A.T Industries
R Henchlev B.A.T Industries
E A A Bruell
B 0 Bramley
A L Heard BAT Co Ltd
R E Thornton
R L 0 Elv
N B Cannar
D K Thorpe BATUK&E
R J Pritchard Bro.n and Williamson
R Sachs Bro-n and Williamson
U Ferter BAT Cigaretten Fabriken, Germany
J-L Mercier Imperial Tobacco Canada
P V Smith WD & HO Wills. Australia
L Sabola Souza Cruz, Brazil
BATCo document for Province of British Columbia 28
October 1999