Section II 
suggest that there is a ratio-scaled relationship between machine-measured 
yield and disease risk. 1 think that these numbers could be made more useful 
by remedying these misleading aspects of the current FTC protocol in ways 
that we have been discussing throughout the morning. 
DR. FREEMAN: Specifically what do you recommend? 
DR. PETITTI: First, present a range of numbers, thereby correcting the 
problem of a single number implying that the consumer will receive 
exactly that amount of exposure; and, second, provide some kind of graphic 
presentation of this information to the consumer in a way that takes away 
the numerical aspect of "9 is 9 times higher than 1 and 20 is 20 times higher 
than 1." 
DR. FREEMAN: Dr. Rickert and then Dr. Ffughes. 
DR. RICKERT: 1 agree. 1 think the issue is, can the FTC protocol provide 
useful information rather than does it? In other words, are there ways that 
we can take this kind of information and convey it? One of the options 
that has been discussed and also appears in the literature is this idea of using 
the color of tar to communicate the range of variation that one can get in 
tar yields and, also, to allow individual smokers to gauge what they are 
receiving from the cigarette. 1 think a lot of us feel that if it were possible 
for low-yield smokers, that is those who are smoking the less-than-5-mg 
cigarettes, to achieve a low-yield smoke from that cigarette, there may be 
an accompanying health benefit to that achievement. At the present time, 
however, there is no means for the smoker to ascertain what the yield is. 
If there were some sort of graphic technique for them to visualize this 
process, then that may confer a health advantage to them. 
DR. FREEMAN: Dr. Hughes? 
DR. HUGHES: I have a question for Mr. Peeler. I was struck by the remark 
that talking about health benefits implies a health claim, which I understand 
the tobacco industry has not made with this product. Therefore my question 
to you is, can the FTC require such health education to come from the 
tobacco manufacturers when they have not made that health claim? 
MR. PEELER: The numbers clearly communicate some health benefit to 
some portion of consumers. If we were able to determine that a significant 
number of consumers were being misled by that, we could require some 
corrective information or provide some corrective information. I think the 
concern has always been the one that we started out with in 1960, that as 
a result of that position, there basically were not any tar and nicotine 
numbers being made available to consumers. 
In terms of our present status right now, our jurisdiction is simply to 
require that claims made in advertising be substantiated. Currently, there 
is not an FTC rule, an FTC case, or any legislation requiring the disclosure 
of tar and nicotine data either on labels or in advertising. 
223 
