Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph No. 7 
PARTICIPANT: Are you saying that you are recommending keeping the 
current FTC testing method and expanding it in some way or are you talking 
about a whole new testing system? 
DR. FREEMAN: Let me reemphasize that we are recommending the keeping 
of the basic parts of the FTC testing methodology with the exception that 
we want to expand testing to show the ranges of possible effects of the three 
substances that are being measured. The reason that we believe this is 
important is that the research has shown that people who smoke cigarettes 
that, for example, are labeled as having low tar can get a much higher dose 
from that cigarette than the label may indicate. For example, if you have a 
low-yield cigarette, the way you smoke it, the rapidity of the puffing, the 
depth of the puffing, whether you block the ventilation holes, etc., can have 
an extraordinary effect on the real dose to the patient. Disease, we believe, 
is related to the dose of carcinogens and other toxins. 
PARTICIPANT: The impetus for this effort came from Congressman 
Waxman, a Democrat in the Congress. Now the Congress is primarily 
Republican. What effect do you think this is going to have on your 
recommendations? 
DR. FREEMAN: It is conceivable that people in power who have 
philosophies that are different from Congressman Waxman's could present 
barriers to our recommendations. We are hopeful though that even with 
these changes that the logic of what we are saying will make sense even to 
people who may disagree with what we are recommending in principle. 
There are people, for example, who may wish to diminish the fight against 
tobacco, and I am sure you are referring to them. I am hopeful that even 
such people will listen to the logic of reporting to the American public the 
truth of a finding that is responsible for 400,000 deaths a year and give the 
public the chance of making an intelligent decision. We are not saying, 
"Eliminate cigarettes." We are not saying, "Stop using the methodology that 
has been present for 25 years." We are saying, "Give an honest report to the 
American public and show them the range of the risk that they are subjected 
to." 1 hope that everybody. Democrat, Republican, conservative, or liberal, 
will follow that logic. 
PAR'nCIFAN'F: You are suggesting, in addition, putting the CO on cigarettes 
and also putting other ingredients? 
DR. FREEMAN: One of the recommendations that I read to you indicates 
that we believe that in addition to putting the ranges of the tar, nicotine, 
and carbon monoxide that are now being measured with one number, we 
want to change that to a range because that is a more truthful statement. 
Fhis committee is also recommending that certain key harmful substances 
known to be in cigarettes (we are not saying which ones should be listed) 
should be given as information to everyone who buys a package of cigarettes. 
We believe that if this is done in food, which does not apparently have the 
toxic effect of tobacco, then we believe it should be done in this lethal 
[)r(iduct. 
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