Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph No. 7 
recommendations on the accuracy and appropriateness of the Federal Trade 
Commission's method for determining the relative 'tar' and nicotine content 
of cigarettes." A similar request was received from the FTC Chairman asking 
that NCI convene a consensus conference on the topic and outlining several 
areas it wished to be considered. 
On December 5 and 6, 1994, a meeting of the NCI ad hoc expert 
committee was convened under the aegis of the President's Cancer Panel to 
examine this issue. The committee consisted of 1 1 individuals from diverse 
scientific backgrounds and experience. The committee had the benefit of 
excellent presentations from 14 experts whose professional careers were not 
only involved in research on smoking, but who have been active contributors 
to this field of scientific inquiry. Two of the individual participants were 
cigarette industry scientists, who participated in all discussions. 
From the outset of the committee's deliberations, it was clear that the 
intent of the meeting was not to redesign the FTC testing protocol but, rather, 
to examine the protocol and make suggestions for improvement, if warranted. 
To provide a framework for discussion, the committee was asked to consider 
three basic questions: 
1. Does the evidence presented clearly demonstrate that 
changes are needed in the current FTC protocol for 
measuring tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide? If yes, 
what changes are required? 
2. Should constituents other than tar, nicotine, and carbon 
monoxide be added to the protocol? 
3. Does the FTC protocol provide information useful to 
smokers in making decisions about their health? 
1. The committee reached the following conclusions with respect to the first 
question. 
A. The smoking of cigarettes with lower machine-measured yields has a 
small effect in reducing the risk of cancer caused by smoking, no effect 
on the risk of cardiovascular diseases, and an uncertain effect on the 
risk of pulmonary disease. A reduction in machine-measured tar yield 
from 15 mg tar to 1 mg tar does not reduce relative risk from 15 to 1. 
B. The FTC test protocol was based on cursory observations of human 
smoking behavior. Actual human smoking behavior is characterized 
by wide variations in smoking patterns, which result in wide variations 
in tar and nicotine exposure. Smokers who switch to lower tar and 
nicotine cigarettes frequently change their smoking behavior, which 
may negate potential health benefits. 
C. Accordingly, the committee recommends the following changes to 
the I'FC protocol: 
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