Cigarette nicotine, tar levels

Press, 2 June 1981, Page 6

Cigarette nicotine, tar levels

A further analysis of tar and nicotine levels of 53 brands of cigarettes on sale in New Zealand has been completed by the Australian Government Analytical Laboratory. Releasing the results yesterday, Dr Maxwell Collins, Director of Public Health for the Department of Health, said that since the previous testing two years ago there appeared to be on average a 10 per cent reduction in tar levels and a 6 per cent reduction in nicotine levels.

“All brands of cigarettes manufactured in New Zealand and on the market at the start of the sampling period of June to August, 1980, have been tested,” Dr Collins said.

The testing used a procedure agreed to by the New Zealand cigarette manufacturers and by officers of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.

Dr -Collins said that the test findings could not be taken as exact but provided a reasonable indication that cigarette sold in New Zea-

land displayed a range ot tar and nicotine content comparable with that reported from overseas.

A plus or minus error of 2 milligrams for tar content and 0.2 milligrams for nicotine is inherent in the research findings. The public could be guided in their/choice of cigarette by the. -published tar and nicotine levels, he said. He emphasised that the viewpoint lof the Health Department was unchanged. “All cigarette smoking is harmful and the main health problems arising from this habit can be eliminated only by people not smoking. For those who cannot give it up, however, the choice of a lowtar cigarette .is a sensible compromise. ‘The significant factor seems to be the total tar load smoked. A reduction of tar per cigarette should thus be of benefit provided consumption of cigarettes does not rise. To avoid increased consumption, the nicotine level should not be reduced too rapidly,” Dr Collins said.

CIGARETTE BRAND NAMES LENGTH TAR NICOTINE Millimeters Milligrams Milligrams Benson and Hedges Special Filter 84 13.9 1.3 Benson and Hedges Special Mild 84 8.9 0.8 • Black, White King Filter 80 13.7 1.4 Bond Street King Size Filter 84 16.4 1.7 Bond Street Menthol Deluxe 20s 84 13.8 1.4Bond Street Mild Tens 80 ■ 13.2 • 1.4 Cambridge >’■ i 84 . 14.2 1.2 Camel Filter■ ' 84 16.4 1.3 Cameo Mild 80 12.4 ... 1.1 ’ ’ Capri Extra Lbw 80 1.5 0.2 Caprb Extra Smooth 84 3.9 0.4 Capri Menthol 84 4:6 0.5 Capstan Medium Navy Cut Plain 70 15.6 1.3 Consulate Menthol 84 11.9 0.9 De Reszke Extra. Mild 84 11.0 1.0 De Reszke Filter 80 14.5 . 1.4 Dukes 84 16.8 1.5 Dunhill King Size 84 13.0 1.2 Fleur Filter 94 13.1 1.3 Greys (10s) 80 15.1 1.3 John Brandon Special 20s 84 13.7 1.2 John Brandon Special 25s 84 13.6 ' 1.2 Kings Gate > 84 12.4 0.8 Marlboro Filter ' 84 14.0 1.2 Matinee Extra Mild 84 8.7 0.8 Matinee Extra Mild Menthol 84 10.4 1.0 Matinee King Size 84 11.2 1.2 Matinee Regular 74 " 12.5 1.2 Mayfair King Size Filter 84 " 12.9 - 1.1 More 120 26.5 2.1 North Pole Menthol Filter 80 13.4 . 1.3 Pall Mall Extra Mild 84 ’ 9.5 .. 0.9 ’all Mall Extra Mild Menthol 84 6.0 0.5 ’all Mall Filter 84 14.3 1.4 Pall Mall International 100 15.4 1.2 Pali Mall Menthol 84 11.6 0.9 . Pall Mall Plain . •80 14.8 1.2 ’eter Stuyvesant Extra Mild 84 8.0 0.7 ’eter. Stuyvesant International 94 13.6 1.0 ’eter. Stuyvesant King Size Filtei 84 ' . 12.2 0.9 lembrandt Mild 84 14.5 1.4 lothmans Internationa) 95 15.6 1.7 lathmans King Size Filter 84 14.4 1.2 lothmans Passport 84 4.3 0.4 >alem Filter 84 15.4 1.3 >enior Service King Size 84 18.61.6 portsman King Size Filter 84 14.8 1.3 portsman Low Tar. ,84 9.2 0.9 portsman. Menthol 84 13.4 1.1 opaz Menthol King Size Filter 84' 138 1.3 'opaz Mild KintSize Filter 84 13.9 1.5 ’infield 20s ; .• . 84 - 13.5 ’■■‘1.3/. ? infieid;25s King Size Filter. 84 - 14.2. 1.3 1/infieId Low Tar 20s •■-: 84 9.4,. . '0.8 /infield Ixiw-Tar 25s' - 1 84 89 ' 07 /infield Menthol 25s 84 •11.3 0.9 'inston Filter 84 17.1 15