Increased levels of nicotine

Nicotine levels increase steadily
By STEVE LeBLANC, Associated Press


Wednesday, August 30
BOSTON -- The level of nicotine that smokers typically consume per cigarette has risen about 10 percent in the past six years, making it harder to quit and easier to get hooked, according to a new report released Tuesday by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
The study shows a steady climb in the amount of nicotine delivered to the lungs of smokers regardless of brand, with overall nicotine yields increasing by about 10 percent.

Massachusetts is one of three states to require tobacco companies to submit information about nicotine testing according to its specifications and the only state with data going back to 1998.

Public Health Commissioner Paul Cote Jr. called the findings "significant" and said the report was the first new release on nicotine yield in more than six years nationally.

The study found the three most popular cigarette brands with young smokers -- Marlboro, Newport and Camel -- delivered significantly more nicotine than they did years ago. Nicotine in Kool, a popular menthol brand, rose 20 percent. More than two-thirds of black smokers use menthol brands.

Jennifer Golisch, a spokeswoman for Altria Group Inc.'s Phillip Morris USA, the nation's largest cigarette maker and manufacturer of Marlboro cigarettes, declined to comment. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., manufacturer of Kool and Camel cigarettes, also declined. Reynolds is part of Reynolds American Inc.

The study has always measured nicotine levels based on the way smokers actually use cigarettes, health officials said, for example by partially covering ventilation holes as they smoke and taking longer puffs. Traditional testing methods, which don't take real-life smoking habits into account, typically report lower nicotine contents, researchers said.

"The amount of nicotine in a cigarette has increased steadily over the past six years," the department said, indicating in its reports that the smoking habits simulated had not changed in that period.

Of the 179 cigarette brands tested in 2004 for the report, 93 percent fell into the highest range for nicotine. In 1998, 84 percent of 116 brands tested fell into the highest range.

"We want health care providers to know that smokers are getting more nicotine than in the past and may need additional help in trying to quit," Cote said.

Smokers who choose "light" brands hoping to reduce their nicotine intake are out of luck, according to the report that found for all brands tested in 1998 and 2004, there was no significant difference in the total nicotine content between "full flavor," "medium," "light," or "ultra-light" cigarettes.

The finding means that health care providers trying to help smokers quit may have to adjust the strength of nicotine replacement therapies like nicotine patches and gums, according to Department of Public Health Associate Commissioner Sally Fogerty.

Rep. Peter J. Koutoujian, D-Waltham, said the report shows tobacco manufacturers are trying to make keep smokers hooked.

"As more and more people become aware of the dangers of smoking and the importance of quitting, we see products that are more addictive," said Koutoujian, who is backing bills banning the sale of flavored cigarettes and requiring tobacco manufacturers to provide scientific evidence that light cigarettes pose a lower health risk.

Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, said the report "documents that the tobacco industry dramatically increased nicotine in secret ... even as Americans try to cut back on smoking."

Smoking-related causes are blamed in the deaths of more than 9,000 Massachusetts residents each year and tobacco-related illnesses kill more people in the state than AIDS, car accidents, homicides, suicides and poisonings combined.

 

Level of nicotine increasing in cigarettes
by Gunika Khurana - August 30, 2006 -

Just when people are trying to quit smoking, the increased level of nicotine is making them all the more addicted.

Reports released on Tuesday by the Massachusetts Department of Health revealed that in the past six years, the level of nicotine in cigarettes has been rocketed up by 10% and is one of the main factors responsible for the dependence-forming properties of tobacco smoking.

Massachusetts, among two other countries, gathers reports from tobacco companies regarding nicotine, a sedative as well as a stimulant. The recent study shows a steady increase in the level of nicotine going in the lungs of the smokers, regardless of brands.

Paul Cote Jr, a public health commissioner said that the findings were significant and is the first report to be released on nicotine content this year. He said that the findings were conducted for the health care centers, to let them know that the smokers are getting more nicotine than in the past and may need additional help in trying to quit.

Marlboro, Newport and Camel, the most popular cigarette brands, have considerably raised the amount of nicotine in their products.

The manufactures of these brands rejected to comment on the findings of the study.

Studies done six years earlier showed that out of the 116 brands, nicotine content for 84% fell in the category of high range. The recent study not only showed the increase in the number of brands, but also demoed that out of the 179 cigarette brands, 93% had high nicotine content.

The study tried to measure nicotine levels by taking into consideration the amount of nicotine absorbed by the body from smoking, which in turn depends on many factors, including the type of tobacco, whether the smoke is inhaled, or whether a filter is used.

As more and more people are becoming aware of hazards cause by smoking and are realizing the benefits of quitting, manufacturers are trying their best to keep smokers hooked.

The illnesses caused by intake of nicotine and tobacco causes more deaths than AIDS, car accidents, homicides, suicides and poisonings combined. It is also noted that the majority of people diagnosed with schizophrenia smoke tobacco.

 

http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/nation_world/article/0,2845,MCA_25345_4957530,00.html
Nicotine levels rose in cigarettes from '98-'04

Marlboro up 12 percent; Kool, 30
By David Brown
Washington Post
August 31, 2006
WASHINGTON -- The amount of nicotine in most cigarettes rose an average of 10 percent between 1998 and 2004, with brands most popular with young people and minorities registering the biggest increases and highest nicotine content, according to a new study.
Nicotine is highly addictive, and while no one has studied the effect of the increases on smokers, the higher levels theoretically could make new smokers more easily addicted as well as make it harder for established smokers to quit.


The trend was discovered by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, which requires that tobacco companies measure the nicotine content of cigarettes each year and report the results.
Using a method that mimics actual smoking, the nicotine delivered per cigarette -- the "yield" -- rose 9.9 percent from 1998 to 2004 -- from 1.72 milligrams to 1.89 milligrams. The total nicotine content increased an average of 16.6 percent in that period, and the amount of nicotine per gram of tobacco increased 11.3 percent.

In all, 92 of 116 brands tested had higher nicotine yield in 2004 than in 1998, and 52 had increases of more than 10 percent.

Doral 85 filter light, a low-tar brand made by R.J. Reynolds, had the biggest increase in yield, 36 percent.

The nicotine in Marlboro, the brand preferred by two-thirds of high-school smokers, increased 12 percent. Kool menthol lights increased 30 percent. Two-thirds of African-American smokers use menthol brands.

Not only did most brands have more nicotine in 2004, the number of brands with very high nicotine yields also rose.

In 1998, Newport menthol filter 100s and Camel non-filters were tied for highest nicotine -- at 2.9 milligrams. In 2004, Newport menthols had risen to 3.2 milligrams, and five brands in all were 3.0 milligrams or higher.

"The reports are stunning," said Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "What's critical is the consistency of the increase, which leads to the conclusion that it has to have been conscious and deliberate."

Myers said the Massachusetts findings are evidence that tobacco products should be more strictly regulated by the federal government.

No spokesman for a tobacco company would speak about the Massachusetts findings Wednesday.

 

Sweet, more for my money.