Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph No. 7 
DR. RICKERT: I guess the question I am asking is, How do you reconcile 
that point of view with the information that has been provided here today, 
which suggests that the majority of smokers do not understand FTC 
numbers? 
DR. TOWNSEND: I am convinced that they understand tar ratings as a 
relative comparison, the same as 1 think we understand ERA gas mileage. 
When you go buy a new car, ERA gas mileage estimates are determined 
by a number of factors, including the type of engine, how you drive, how 
properly you inflate the tires, how well you maintain it, how good your 
mechanic is, and even maybe the region of the country in which you live, 
because gasoline engines are more efficient in certain climates than others. 
1 do not take ERA gas mileage ratings to mean that is what 1 am going 
to get. The same as 1 was referring to earlier, 1 do not think I am necessarily 
getting the same efficiency on my hot water heater as it is rated. 
1 think these ratings are for comparison purposes. And I think that is 
what most consumers look for in the marketplace, and 1 think that is the 
way they interpret the FTC numbers. 
DR. RICKERT: Let's assume for a moment that the FTC numbers are a perfect 
predictor of the amount of nicotine that is obtained from a cigarette. How 
do you think that relates to the other components that may be of concern? 
There are a whole host of chemicals that are related to various disease 
phenomena. How do you think the blood nicotine levels will act as a 
predictor of the absorption of these other constituents? 
DR. DEBETHIZY: 1 think that one of the things about nicotine as a marker 
is that nicotine represents probably the upper limit for a particular phase 
for constituents. But one thing that 1 want to remind everybody is that the 
FTC method was never intended to measure or assist people with the actual 
uptake. It is to provide a relative ranking of cigarettes. And 1 think it has 
reliably done that for a long time. 
It also gives us a way that we can standardize the analysis of cigarette 
smoking, so that we can compare work done in our laboratory with work 
done in your laboratory. And it has done that very well for a long time. 
DR. HARRIS: 1 wondered if you could show, once again, one of your slides 
showing the trends in the sales-weighted tar and nicotine averages over time. 
And also, you might put up the one of unfiltered Camels also, if you have it. 
It is not essential which one, and I think Dr. Hoffmann even had one. 
Dr. Hoffmann showed a similar slide, although the axes were labeled 
somewhat differently. And 1 have also looked at data on sales-weighted 
average nicotine, using the ITC numbers, at least those that were provided 
at various times to the Federal Frade Commission. 
And I have been led to the general conclusion that, while the F'FC-based 
numbers declined substantially during the I9.S()'s and continued to decline. 
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