29 research outputs found
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Has the tobacco industry evaded the FDA's ban on âLightâ cigarette descriptors?
Background: Under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (FSPTCA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the use of âLightsâ descriptors or similar terms on tobacco products that convey messages of reduced risk. Manufacturers eliminated terms explicitly stated and substituted colour name descriptors corresponding to the banned terms. This paper examines whether the tobacco industry complied with or circumvented the law and potential FDA regulatory actions. Methods: Philip Morris retailer manuals, manufacturers' annual reports filed with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, a national public opinion survey, and market-wide cigarette sales data were examined. Results: Manufacturers substituted âGoldâ for âLightâ and âSilverâ for âUltra-lightâ in the names of Marlboro sub-brands, and âBlueâ, âGoldâ, and âSilverâ for banned descriptors in sub-brand names. Percent filter ventilation levels, used to generate the smoke yield ranges associated with âLightsâ categories, appear to have been reassigned to the new colour brand name descriptors. Following the ban, 92% of smokers reported they could easily identify their usual brands, and 68% correctly named the package colour associated with their usual brand, while sales for âLightsâ cigarettes remained unchanged. Conclusions: Tobacco manufacturers appear to have evaded a critical element of the FSPTCA, the ban on misleading descriptors that convey reduced health risk messages. The FPSTCA provides regulatory mechanisms, including banning these products as adulterated (Section 902). Manufacturers could then apply for pre-market approval as new products and produce evidence for FDA evaluation and determination whether or not sales of these products are in the public health interest
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Patterns of dual use of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco among US males: findings from national surveys
Background: In the USA, consumption of moist snuff continues to increase and cigarette manufacturers now control nearly its entire market. Manufacturers have developed new products that represent cigarette brand extension and in test marketing are promoting dual use of cigarettes and snuff. This study examined patterns of concurrent use of smokeless tobacco (ST) and cigarettes among young people and adults in the USA just before cigarette companies' control of the nation's ST market. Methods: Data were drawn from four US nationally representative surveys. Stratified analyses applied sampling weights and accounted for the complex sample designs. Results: Cigarette smoking was substantially more prevalent among young males who used ST than among those who did not. Among adult males, those who smoked daily were less likely than others to have used snuff every day. Men who used moist snuff daily had the lowest prevalence of daily smoking, but the prevalence of daily smoking was relatively high among men who used moist snuff less than daily. Unsuccessful past-year attempts by daily smokers to quit smoking were more prevalent among non-daily snuff users (41.2%) than among those who had never used snuff (29.6%). Conclusions: Although dual daily use of ST and cigarettes is relatively uncommon in the USA, concurrent ST use is more common among adolescent and young adult male smokers than among more mature tobacco users. Among adult males, daily smoking predominates and non-daily ST use is very strongly associated with current smoking. Adult male smokers who also use ST daily tend to have relatively high levels of serum cotinine and high prevalence of a major indicator for tobacco dependence
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Has the Tobacco Industry Evaded the Intent and Purpose of the FDA's Ban on "Light" Cigarette Descriptors
Background Under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (FSPTCA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the use of âLightsâ descriptors or similar terms on tobacco products that convey messages of reduced risk. Manufacturers eliminated terms explicitly stated and substituted colour name descriptors corresponding to the banned terms. This paper examines whether the tobacco industry complied with or circumvented the law and potential FDA regulatory actions.
Methods Philip Morris retailer manuals, manufacturers' annual reports filed with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, a national public opinion survey, and market-wide cigarette sales data were examined.
Results Manufacturers substituted âGoldâ for âLightâ and âSilverâ for âUltra-lightâ in the names of Marlboro sub-brands, and âBlueâ, âGoldâ, and âSilverâ for banned descriptors in sub-brand names. Percent filter ventilation levels, used to generate the smoke yield ranges associated with âLightsâ categories, appear to have been reassigned to the new colour brand name descriptors. Following the ban, 92% of smokers reported they could easily identify their usual brands, and 68% correctly named the package colour associated with their usual brand, while sales for âLightsâ cigarettes remained unchanged.
Conclusions Tobacco manufacturers appear to have evaded a critical element of the FSPTCA, the ban on misleading descriptors that convey reduced health risk messages. The FPSTCA provides regulatory mechanisms, including banning these products as adulterated (Section 902). Manufacturers could then apply for pre-market approval as new products and produce evidence for FDA evaluation and determination whether or not sales of these products are in the public health interest
Male tobacco smoke load and non-lung cancer mortality associations in Massachusetts
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Different methods exist to estimate smoking attributable cancer mortality rates (Peto and Ezzati methods, as examples). However, the smoking attributable estimates using these methods cannot be generalized to all population sub-groups. A simpler method has recently been developed that can be adapted and applied to different population sub-groups. This study assessed cumulative tobacco smoke damage (smoke load)/non-lung cancer mortality associations across time from 1979 to 2003 among all Massachusetts males and ages 30â74 years, using this novel methodology.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Annual lung cancer death rates were used as smoke load bio-indices, and age-adjusted lung/all other (non-lung) cancer death rates were analyzed with linear regression approach. Non-lung cancer death rates include all cancer deaths excluding lung. Smoking-attributable-fractions (SAFs) for the latest period (year 2003) were estimated as: 1-(estimated unexposed cancer death rate/observed rate).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Male lung and non-lung cancer death rates have declined steadily since 1992. Lung and non-lung cancer death rates were tightly and steeply associated across years. The slopes of the associations analyzed were 1.69 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.35â2.04, r = 0.90), and 1.36 (CI 1.14â1.58, r = 0.94) without detected autocorrelation (Durbin-Watson statistic = 1.8). The lung/non-lung cancer death rate associations suggest that all-sites cancer death rate SAFs in year 2003 were 73% (Sensitivity Range [SR] 61â82%) for all ages and 74% (SR 61â82%) for ages 30â74 years.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The strong lung/non-lung cancer death rate associations suggest that tobacco smoke load may be responsible for most prematurely fatal cancers at both lung and non-lung sites. The present method estimates are greater than the earlier estimates. Therefore, tobacco control may reduce cancer death rates more than previously noted.</p
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Trends in nicotine yield in smoke and its relationship with design characteristics among popular U.S. cigarette brands, 1997-2005
Objectives: To determine whether nicotine yields in the smoke of cigarettes would show an overall increase over time or an increasing trend limited to any particular market category (eg, full flavour vs light, medium (mild) or ultralight; mentholated vs non-mentholated), manufacturer, or brand family or brand style, and whether nicotine yields in smoke would be associated with measurable trends in cigarette design.
Methods: Machine-based measures of nicotine yield in smoke and measures of cigarette design features related to nicotine delivery (ventilation, nicotine content in the tobacco rod and number of puffs), as well as market category descriptors, were obtained from annual reports filed with the Massachusetts Department of Public by tobacco manufacturers for 1997â2005. Trends in nicotine yield and its relationship with design features and market parameters were analysed with multilevel mixed-effects regression modelling procedures.
Results: A statistically significant trend was confirmed in increased nicotine yield, of 0.019 (1.1%) mg/cig/year over the period 1997â2005 and 0.029 (1.6%) mg/cig/year over the period 1998â2005. The increasing trend was observed in all major market categories (mentholated vs non-mentholated, and full flavour vs light, medium (mild) or ultralight). Nicotine yield in smoke was positively associated with nicotine concentration in the tobacco and number of puffs per cigarette, both of which showed increasing trends during the study period.
Conclusions: This study confirms increased machine-measured levels of nicotine, the addictive agent in cigarettes, in smoke, to be a result of increased nicotine in the tobacco rod and other design modifications
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Public Attitudes Regarding Banning of Cigarettes and Regulation of Nicotine
Knowledge of current public opinion is important as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) applies the best scientific evidence available to tobacco product regulation. Based on a nationally representative survey of the US adult population, we report 43% support for banning of cigarettes, 65% for reducing nicotine, and 77% for reducing nicotine if such an action could cause fewer children to become addicted to cigarettes. The FDA should consider protecting children by removing all but nonaddictive cigarettes from the marketplace
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The Effect of the New York State Cigarette Fire Safety Standard on Ignition Propensity, Smoke Toxicity and the Consumer market
This report examines New York's initial experience implementing fire safety standards for cigarettes. This study provided the first assessment of the ability of manufacturers to produce cigarettes that reduce ignition propensity, while maintaining price and consumer acceptability. The study also measures a number known toxic compound s commonly found in cigarettes to determine if there are substantial differences in their levels compared to Mssachussetts cigarettes. The study compares laboratory testing of RIP and the level of nineteen known toxic compounds for the same four cigarette brands sold in New York and Massachussetts. The study further examines measures of tax revenue, pricing, and brand availability to assess the effects of fire safety standards on the consumer market