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Maude and Alfred Lane Family Reunion at Crooked River Ranch, Oregon There is a get-together at the Sandbagger Saloon and Restaurant Aug. 14 (Friday), 4-9 p.m. Family BBQ at Crooked River Ranch’s MacPherson Park Aug. 15 (Saturday) • 2 p.m.to sunset Bring your favorite beverages BBQ will be provided. Side dishes welcome! Please RSVP/call Linda & Greg Merrill for info at (home) 541-548-2452, (cell) 541-598-6683 or crookedwillowm@gmail.com Lodging info and RV/camping info available Reserve early! I have reserved a block of tee times, so if you want to play golf on the morning of the 15 th , let us know. See you soon! Low-Yield Cigarettes By the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; brought to you by the Tribal Tobacco Prevention & Education Program After the landmark 1964 Surgeon General’s Report on the health conse- quences of smoking, cigarette manufac- turers began heavily marketing cigarettes labeled “light,” “low,” and “mild” (or similar descriptors). 1 Cigarettes with “light/low/mild” labels delivered less tar or nicotine in standardized machine measurements. 1,2 They were often referred to as “potentially reduced-exposure products,” and adver- tisements implied that they were safer than regular or “full-flavor” cigarettes. 1,2 However, due to passage of the Fam- ily Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act in 2009, manufacturers are now prohibited from manufacturing for sale or distribution any tobacco products for which the label, labeling or advertising contains the descriptors “light,” “low,” or “mild” or any similar descriptors. 3 The tar yields in cigarettes can be measured on standardized smoking machines. 1 Examination of tar yields and health risks did not provide evidence that low-yield cigarettes are less harmful to health than regular cigarettes. 1 There is no risk-free level of expo- sure to tobacco smoke and there is no safe tobacco product. 4 Cigarette descriptors and design Labels with descriptors, such as “light,” “low,” or “mild” can no longer be used. 3 In the past, the tobacco industry categorized low-yield cigarettes using measurements of tar on standardized smoking machines. 1 • Siletz News • The following cigarette design changes made over the past decades affected the tar and nicotine measurements: 1,2,4 • • Overview 12 Cigarette brands that yielded approxi- mately 1-6 milligrams (mg) of tar were historically called “ultra light.” Those with approximately 6-15 mg of tar were called “light.” Brands yielding more than 15 mg of tar were called “regular” or “full flavor.” • • • • • • • Addition of different size and density filters Ventilation holes in the cigarettes to bring in air and dilute the smoke measured Chemical additives in the paper and/ or tobacco Tobacco (i.e., using different types, blends and curing methods) No strong scientific evidence exists indicating that changes in cigarette design have resulted in a decrease in the diseases caused by smoking cigarettes. • • • • Many smokers block the ventilation holes, thus inhaling more tar and nicotine than measured by machines. Many smokers inhale longer, harder and more frequently when smok- ing low-yield cigarettes to get more nicotine. January 2015 Many smokers consider smoking low-yield cigarettes, menthol ciga- rettes or additive-free cigarettes to be safer than smoking regular ciga- rettes, even though no strong scien- tific evidence exists to substantiate these beliefs. 1,2,5 Many smokers may have switched to low-yield brands instead of quitting; smokers may be misled by the implied promise of reduced toxicity underly- ing the marketing of such brands. 1,5,6 Information on sales of U.S. cigarettes indicates that there were decreases in tar and nicotine from 38 mg of tar and 2.7 mg of nicotine in 1954 to 12 mg of tar and 0.95 mg of nicotine in 1993. Tar and nicotine levels have remained stable since then. 4 Health risks of smoking • Compensatory smoking Most smokers are addicted to nicotine and consequently may com- pensate when smoking low-yield cigarettes in order to take in more nicotine than estimated by a smoking machine. 1,5,6,7 people who would otherwise quit using tobacco altogether. 4 References 1. Smokers who use low-yield cigarettes Changes in cigarette design have not made cigarettes safe. 1,5 • Smokers may get as much or more tar and nicotine from cigarettes with low-yield ratings as from regular cigarettes because of the ways they compensate when smoking them. • • The evidence indicates that chang- ing cigarette designs over the last five decades, including filtered, low- tar and “light” variations, have not reduced overall disease risk among smokers and may have hindered pre- vention and cessation efforts. 4 There is insufficient evidence to determine whether novel tobacco products reduce individual and popu- lation health risks. 4 The overall health of the public could be harmed if the introduction of novel tobacco products encourages tobacco use among people who would oth- erwise be unlikely to use a tobacco product or delays cessation among 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. National Cancer Institute. Risks Associated with Smoking Cigarettes with Low Machine- Measured Yields of Tar and Nicotine. Smok- ing and Tobacco Control Monograph 13. Bethesda: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, 2001 [accessed 2013 June 11] Institute of Medicine. Clearing the Smoke: Assessing the Science Base for Tobacco Harm Prevention. Washington: National Academy Press, 2001 [accessed 2013 June 11] U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Guidance for Industry and FDA Staff: Use of “Light,” “Mild,” “Low,” or Similar Descriptors in the Label, Labeling, or Advertising of Tobacco Products. Rockville (MD): U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Tobacco Products, 2010 [accessed 2013 June 11] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. How Tobacco Smoke Causes Dis- ease: The Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease. A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Depart- ment of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2010 [accessed 2013 June 11] Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Light and Low Tar Fact Sheets. [PDF–180.59 KB] Washington: Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 2010 [accessed 2013 June 11] U.S. Department of Health and Human Ser- vices. Reducing Tobacco Use: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2000 [accessed 2013 June 11] Public Health Law Center. Light/Low-Yield Cigarettes. St. Paul (MN): Public Health Law Center, 2010 [accessed 2013 June 11] For further information Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Office on Smoking and Health – tobac- coinfo@cdc.gov or 800-CDC-INFO.
