No two smokers smoke cigarettes exactly the same way. The average tar and nicotine yield numbers that are reported for cigarette brands are not meant (and were never intended) to communicate the precise amount of tar or nicotine inhaled by any individual smoker from any particular cigarette.These numbers come from standardized testing methods, which compare different cigarette brands when smoked by a machine under identical laboratory conditions. As regulators have said since their introduction, these tests – including those developed in cooperation with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) – show the relative differences in yields among cigarette brands, assuming that each brand is held and smoked the same way as it is in the machine.
It is reported that some cigarette smokers believe their cigarette delivers exactly the amount of tar and nicotine from each cigarette that the test reports. The FTC told smokers that "in looking at 'tar' and nicotine numbers, you need to know that the amount of 'tar' and nicotine you get will vary significantly depending on how you smoke the cigarettes."
Using the tar numbers as a reference point, we describe some of our cigarette brands with terms such as "lights," "ultra-lights," "medium" and "mild." These brand descriptors, however - like the reported numbers themselves - have never indicated precisely how much tar or nicotine a particular smoker will inhale at any given time.
Although we believe that descriptors serve as useful points of comparison for cigarette brands regarding characteristics such as strength of taste and reported tar yields, we do not imply in our marketing, and cigarette smokers should not assume, that "lights," "ultra-lights," "medium" and "mild" brands are safe or safer than full-flavor brands.
An additional word for cigarette smokers who may be interested in obtaining less tar and nicotine from their cigarettes: It is reported that cigarette smokers "compensate" for the reduced tar and nicotine yields of some brands by smoking them differently than they would higher yield brands. For example, they may take more or larger puffs, smoke more of the cigarette or block ventilation holes that contribute to the lower reported yields of some brands. Generally speaking, the more intensely a smoker smokes a cigarette, the more tar and nicotine he or she will inhale from that cigarette.
We have provided links on the
Resources page that directly access views of the public health community regarding lower-tar cigarettes and articles related to “compensatory” cigarette smoking behavior.
Cigarette companies measure average per-cigarette yields of tar and nicotine by following standardized machine testing methods. U.S. companies follow the method that was prescribed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 1967 and which historically has been referred to as the "FTC test method." Many other countries around the world use a similar method standardized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
During a test, a machine "smokes" each cigarette in the same manner. For example, the FTC test method requires the machine to take one two-second puff of 35 milliliters of smoke each minute. The FTC test method also requires that the cigarette be inserted to a specified depth on the cigarette filter and "smoked" to a specified length of the cigarette rod. Because the cigarettes are smoked by machine under identical laboratory conditions, tar and nicotine yields of each brand can be compared.
These machine methods were never intended to reflect what and how cigarette smokers actually inhale. Indeed, in 1967 when the FTC announced the completion of its trial tests of the current method, it stated that "[n]o test can precisely duplicate conditions of actual human smoking and, within fairly wide limits, no one method can be said to be either 'right' or 'wrong' ... the purpose of testing is not to determine the amount of tar and nicotine inhaled by any human smoker, but rather to determine the amount of tar and nicotine generated when a cigarette is smoked by machine in accordance with the prescribed method."
Read the FTC's 1967 press release describing the limitations of standardized machine tests.
In September 2002, PM USA, based upon new scientific developments,
petitioned the FTC to reconsider the FTC test method, also referred to as the "Cambridge Filter Method", and expand its existing regulatory regime and promulgate Trade Regulation Rules addressing tar and nicotine measurements, disclosures, and marketing, including the use of descriptors, such as "light" and "ultralight". That petition remains pending before the FTC.
On July 8, 2008, the FTC issued a
proposal to rescind its guidance that it is generally not a violation of the FTC Act to make factual statements on tar and nicotine yields of cigarettes when statements of such yields are supported by the FTC test method.
Since November 2002, PM USA has placed an “
onsert ” for a period of time each year on its non-full flavor cigarettes (light, ultralight, low tar, and medium cigarettes). The onsert contains information about machine generated average per-cigarette tar and nicotine yields and the use of brand descriptors. PM USA cigarette brand advertising bears a legend next to the tar and nicotine disclosure that says: “The amount of ‘tar’ and nicotine you inhale will vary depending on how you smoke the cigarette.”
In light of these limitations, a cigarette smoker should not assume that the machine test numbers printed in advertisements indicate the actual amount of tar and nicotine that will be inhaled from any particular cigarette or the relative amount of tar and nicotine as compared to any other brand.
The tar and nicotine yield numbers that are reported for cigarette brands do not communicate the precise amount of tar or nicotine inhaled by any individual smoker from any particular cigarette. These numbers come from testing methods, which compare different brands when smoked by a machine under identical laboratory conditions.
Full Flavor. Medium. Mild. Light. Ultra Light.
PM USA frequently describes cigarette brands using these descriptors that facilitate a smoker’s ability to distinguish among our cigarette products.
We use these terms to describe the strength of taste and flavor in our products. They also serve as a relative indication of the average tar and nicotine yield per cigarette (as measured by a standard government machine method) for a brand in order to distinguish it from others on the market.
Smokers should consider the following when choosing a cigarette product:
- A smoker should not assume that brand descriptors such as "light" or "ultra light" indicate with precision either the actual amount of tar and nicotine inhaled from any particular cigarette or the relative amount as compared to competing cigarette brands.
- Some researchers report that smokers of "light" cigarettes inhale as much tar and nicotine as from full-flavor brands. The amount of tar and nicotine inhaled will be higher, for example, if a smoker blocks ventilation holes, inhales more deeply, takes more puffs or smokes more cigarettes.
- PM USA does not imply in our marketing, and smokers should not assume, that lower-yielding brands are safe or safer than full-flavor brands.
- There is no safe cigarette. "Medium," "mild," "light" and "ultra light" cigarettes are no exception.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has stated that "smoking 'low tar' or 'light' cigarettes does not eliminate the health risks of smoking. If you're concerned about the health risks of smoking, stop smoking ... There's no such thing as a safe smoke."
The National Cancer Institute Monograph 13 press release includes a link to the full study: "Risks Associated with Smoking Cigarettes with Low Machine-Measured Yields of Tar and Nicotine."
As of today, there is no cigarette on the market which public health organizations endorse as offering "reduced risk." If smokers are concerned about the risks of smoking, quitting is by far their best alternative for reducing those risks.
Because smokers have varying preferences, PM USA offers products with differing yields of tar and nicotine, as measured by machine methods. We believe that it is appropriate to differentiate our brands on this basis and that descriptors such as "light," "ultra light," "medium" and "mild" help communicate these differences to adult smokers.
For a number of years, cigarette companies, including PM USA have reported tar and nicotine numbers and other information for our cigarettes to the Federal Trade Commission, typically on an annual basis. We annually report nicotine yield numbers and other information to the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the
State of Texas. We also report information regarding the presence of designated tobacco substances to the
State of Minnesota.
Copies of the reports PM USA submitted to these states can be viewed in our
Regulatory Reporting Requirements section.
