837 



Mr. James Johnston. I can be helpful on that issue, too, Mr. 

 Congressman. 



Mr. Wyden. Mr. Johnston, one of these ingredients is nicotine 

 sulfate. The CDC notes that this is a very toxic compound and it's 

 the main precursor of a suspected carcinogenic nitrosamine. Have 

 any of you, you or any of the others, used nicotine sulfate as an 

 ingredient in the manufacture of cigarette products? 



Mr. James Johnston. That issue has been addressed in every 

 oral statement I heard, every written statement I heard, and prob- 

 ably a dozen questions today. I will repeat it again for the record. 



Mr. Wyden. Let's get it on the record. 



Mr. James Johnston. We are required by the BATF to use that 

 as the only thing we can use as a denaturing agent in alcohol. Alco- 

 hol is what carries flavors and deposits them on the tobacco. Its 

 presence is not detectable in the final product. That is how little 

 of it is used. It is vaporized 



Mr. Wyden. Who says that? Who says that it's not detectable? 



Mr. James Johnston. As you know, we have had six eminent 

 independent toxicologists review these ingredients. I'd like to com- 

 ment on this list of 13 ingredients. It is erroneous. Please let me 

 say for the record that five of the items on that list are not used 

 at all by the six major U.S. manufacturers. 



Of the remaining ingredients, one is a processing agent that is 

 not detectable in the finished product. Three are, in fact, approved 

 for use in food. Others occur naturally in various food products and 

 are present in cigarettes at trace levels, meaning parts per million. 



Mr. Wyden. Let's be clear. What I have from the Centers for Dis- 

 ease Control was dated March 24 of this year. They said it was 13 

 based on the 1992 list, which is the last list given to the govern- 

 ment. So I think we want to be clear that that's what the Centers 

 for Disease Control said. 



But more important, I think it needs to be noted, Mr. Johnston, 

 that over the last 24 hours, the tobacco industry has declared once 

 again that all is well, ingredients are safe, everybody doesn't have 

 to worry, set it out of your mind. But let me read you what the 

 Centers for Disease Control said on March 24. 



They said, and I quote, "Without information about the specific 

 dose, combination of ingredients and how and when ingredients are 

 added during the manufacturing process, we are unable to deter- 

 mine health risks that might result from any of the ingredients." 



Now, you all may have, in fact, been able in the last 24 hours 

 to do a real sugar-coating job on this ingredient issue and try to 

 convince people, including some in the press, that all is safe. 



But the official declaration of the government, the Centers for 

 Disease Control, in a letter, March 24, 1994, does not agree with 

 that particular assertion. And until the government gets the spe- 

 cific quantity of the chemical involved, it is very clear that the gov- 

 ernment cannot ascertain safety. 



I got my list yesterday. I was not given any specific dosage infor- 

 mation, not given any dosage information on brands. I hope that 

 that information will be forthcoming. You have, again, given us in 

 your testimony a statement that there is nothing to worry about, 

 we need not be concerned. 



