A Safer Cigarette?

All of us are aware of the problems associated with cigarette smoking, especially for those of us with COPD. However, the cigarette manufacturers, in an attempt to increase sales, have developed what they tout as less risky alternatives to cigarettes. One such company, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, has recently began to advertise a new cigarette, Eclipse, which is advertised as posing less of a health risk. Sounds like a great deal for those of us who know we need to quit smoking, but can't seem to quite make it. Or does it?

According to the May 17, 2000, issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the theory of a less dangerous cigarette remains unproved, and in fact these cigarettes may present unique health risks to the smoker. In order to understand more of the process that R.J. Reynolds is using, and the associated risks, let's take a look at how these cigarettes work. According to the AMA, "Smokers use Eclipse by lighting a carbon rod at the cigarette's tip. This rod contains a powder derived from tobacco and is surrounded by two mats of glass fibers. Heat passes through the carbon rod to a layer of tobacco and creates a nicotine-filled aerosol, which the smoker inhales. In advertisements, R.J. Reynolds claims that Eclipse may present less risk of cancer and possibly the respiratory diseases chronic bronchitis and emphysema."

Critics of this product, including Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala and the American Cancer Society, charge that the tobacco company's scientific evidence has not been independently verified. Moreover, even the company's own scientific advisory panel has said the research on Eclipse's effects on the heart is inconclusive.

In addition, testing indicates that glass fibres from the cigarette's filtration system are inhaled, and according to many researchers, these fibres pose the same threat to the lungs that asbestos does. To me that does not sound like a better alternative than the traditional cigarette. Think about it!

Why would anyone buy a product that its own manufacturers say the research is inconclusive? Why would anyone buy a product that has been shown to introduce glass fibres into the lungs, much like asbestos would do? Why? The answer is simple. Those of us who can't quite quit smoking dream of an alternative to cigarettes that give us that rush of nicotine, and yet are safe or at least safer than traditional cigarettes. Add to that the advertising industry and it's ability to influence our behavior, and we can easily see the answer. People who are ill often respond to unproved and even dangerous "cures or

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