Tar and Nicotine
No two smokers smoke cigarettes exactly the same way. The level of tar and nicotine will vary significantly depending on how you smoke the cigarette. Smokers may take more or larger puffs, smoke more cigarettes 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 they will inhale from that cigarette.
Most governments rely on a standard method approved by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), for measuring the tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in cigarette smoke. Using the standard method, the cigarette is smoked by a machine, which takes one two second puff of a specific volume 35 millimeters (ml) of smoke per minute.
Tar: The technical test requires that the cigarette be inserted to a specified depth on the cigarette filter and smoked to a specified length of the cigarette rod. This enables uniform labeling of tar and nicotine measurements on cigarette packs, expressed in milligrams (mg) per cigarette.
Nicotine: is one of many naturally occurring plant substances containing nitrogen, which are know as alkaloids. Nicotine is found in tobacco and in much lower quantities, in other members of the same family, which include tomato, potato, aubergine and green pepper.
Some say that nicotine is a poison and can be toxic if taken in sufficient quantities. This is true. However, the same accusation could be leveled against many substances that occur naturally in what we eat and drink every day. It is a basic law of toxicology that it is dosage that determines whether or not something is poisonous and there is no credible scientific evidence that nicotine, at the levels found in cigarette smoke, poses toxic risks. If a smoker is concerned about the risks, then the smoker should stop smoking.
The smoke particles produced by the ISO method are collected on a filter. The water and nicotine are then extracted and measured. The remaining material on the filter is then defined as total particulate matter, water and nicotine. This is then the tar value.
The machine measurement gives a consistent, standardized way of ranking tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide yields amongst different types of cigarettes, not unlike the technical tests for average fuel consumption in cars. The gases are analyzed, the tar is weighted and dried and the nicotine is extracted and then level determined by detailed laboratory analysis.
Brand Descriptors
Using the tar numbers a reference point; we describe some of our brands with terms like lights, ultra lights, and mild. These brand descriptors do not indicate the precise tar and nicotine a smoker will inhale. Smokers should not assume that lights or mild are safe or safer than full flavor brands.
The brand descriptors facilitate smokers’ ability to distinguish among different product offerings. Descriptors are used as a point of comparison, with respect to attributes such as strength of taste and flavor, and tar and nicotine yield as measured by the ISO machine method, for a cigarette brand in order to distinguish it from other brands on the market.
Because smokers have varying preferences, SATG offers products with differing yields of tar and nicotine, as measured by the ISO method. We believe that it is appropriate to continue to differentiate our brands on this basis and that descriptors such as full flavor, lights help communicate these differences to adult smokers.
If you are concerned about the health risks of smoking, stop smoking. There is no such thing as a safe smoke.
