31 



sorption of nicotine into tissues. This technology can increase con- 

 tent of tobacco by up to 76 percent and lower the pH in the process. 



The next chart. U.S. Patent number 5,065,775 (Chart I) describes 

 chemical methods using chlorofluorocarbons that can be used, 

 among other things, to bring the tobacco blend containing 2.3 per- 

 cent nicotine up to 5.2 percent nicotine. This technology increases 

 the nicotine content in tobacco by more than 100 percent. 



The next chart. U.S. Patent number 4,898,188 (Chart J) shows 

 how to transfer nicotine by supercritical fluid extraction involving 

 liquid carbon dioxide. An example in the patent shows that the 

 technology can reduce the Burley tobacco from 3.56 percent nico- 

 tine to 0.88 percent nicotine and increase the flue-cured tobacco 

 from 2,59 percent to 4.83 percent. This patent demonstrates that 

 nicotine can be transferred in significant amounts from one type of 

 tobacco filler to another. 



Mr. Chairman, these patents illustrate that the cigarette indus- 

 try has developed technologies that allow it to add or subtract nico- 

 tine from tobacco. The amount of nicotine present in cigarettes may 

 therefore be a matter of choice, not chance. 



Mr. Chairman, that prompts me to ask: How does the industry 

 determine nicotine levels in various products? More importantly, 

 why does the amount of nicotine in cigarettes remain at addictive 

 levels? In fact, since the technology apparently exists to remove 

 nicotine from cigarettes to insignificant levels, why does the indus- 

 try keep nicotine in cigarettes at all? 



The cigarette industry would like you to believe that it simply re- 

 turns the nicotine that is removed when reconstituted tobacco is 

 produced. It should be clear from what I have described that the 

 technology that the industry may have available goes beyond such 

 efforts. The industry may also tell you that it is adjusting nicotine 

 levels to be consistent with established FTC yields. These are the 

 amounts of tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide that are measured 

 for each cigarette product by a smoking machine. But in fact, pat- 

 ents were granted for adjusting nicotine levels before those FTC 

 measurements were adopted. No measurements would prevent the 

 industry from reducing nicotine below addicting levels or eliminat- 

 ing it all together. 



Nicotine levels may be dictated in part by marketing strategies 

 and demographics. Let me show you a reproduced copy of one 

 smokeless tobacco compan^s marketing strategy. The products 

 with the lower nicotine yield are found on the bottom and mar- 

 keted as "starter" products. As you go up the chart, nicotine yields 

 increase. And through advertising, the users are encouraged to 

 "graduate" — their word, not mine — to products with higher levels of 

 nicotine, marketing on the basis of nicotine delivery. 



Why develop such a strategy? The cigarette industry may tell 

 you that the purpose of nicotine is to provide flavor. Information 

 suggests otherwise. A company's own book on flavoring tobacco 

 lists about a thousand flavorants, but nicotine is not one of them. 

 Some industry patents specifically distinguish nicotine from 

 flavorants. 



As we saw earlier, technologies have been developed specifically 

 to mask the unacceptably harsh and irritating flavor of added nico- 

 tine. In fact, U.S. patent 4,620,554 uses the word "hazardous" to 



