MINNEAPOLIS, MN (May 4, 2005) – There is no evidence to support that cigarettes that are modified to reduce exposure to harmful substances actually reduce risk for disease, according to a report issued today by the University of Minnesota Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center (UMN TTURC).

The report, “Hope or Hazard: What Research Tells Us About Potentially Reduced-Exposure Tobacco Products,” (PDF) is a compilation of the most up-to-date research on the harmful nature of and exposure to harmful chemicals in these products.

Dorothy Hatsukami, Ph.D., co-director of the UMN TTURC and lead author of the report, said that some manufacturers of these products have been claiming that they reduce exposure to cancer-causing agents, and that those decreases may lead to a reduced risk of cancer or other harmful health effects.

“But to date, there is no evidence to suggest that the extent of reduction in tobacco toxin exposure with any of the existing products reduces the risk of disease. We simply do not know how much of a reduction in toxin exposure is needed to create a positive effect on health,” Hatsukami said. Tobacco products that claim to reduce risk or reduce exposure are called “potentially reduced exposure tobacco products” or PREPs.

“As it stands now, smokers may be misled about the ‘safety' of these products, and that may discourage them from quitting altogether. We don't want to repeat the same mistakes that are being made with the light and ultralight cigarettes, where consumers believe that these types of cigarettes are safer, when actually these cigarettes result in the same toxin exposure as regular cigarettes,” according to Hatsukami.

At least nine PREPs are currently being marketed nationwide in select areas, including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah. Some products are also available for sale over the Internet. The products are marketed under several brand names, including Accord, Advance, Eclipse, Quest and Revel.

While the marketing claims of these products are not currently regulated, at least 10 state attorneys general are reportedly investigating whether marketing claims for PREPs are deceptive. The report strongly urges a need for US Food and Drug Administration regulation over tobacco products.

"Consumers have a right to be provided accurate information on what they are smoking.  Also, all consumers have a right to less toxic tobacco products," says Hatsukami.

The University of Minnesota report also points out that the current methods of using machines to measure exposure to harmful substances in tobacco should be replaced by measuring actual human exposure.

"Machines can easily overestimate the reduction of exposure to harmful chemicals in tobacco. We should be developing new methods and measures to determine actual exposure to humans," Hatsukami said.

To receive an embargoed portable document format (PDF) version of the report, please click here.

The TTURC at the Masonic Cancer Center is one of several centers funded through the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (Other TTURC Centers include Brown University; University of California , Irvine; University of Pennsylvania/Georgetown University; Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo , New York; University of Southern California; University of Wisconsin; and Yale University.) The mission of the TTURC at the Masonic Cancer Center is to reduce mortality and morbidity associated with tobacco use by (1) conducting research that explores methods to reduce tobacco toxin exposure and health risks, (2) translating and disseminating research to policy makers and consumers, (3) training transdisciplinary tobacco use researchers, and (4) generating interest and new collaborations in tobacco research.

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Media Contact: Mary Lawson, Public Relations Director, Masonic Cancer Center, 612-624-6165, 612-363-6971 (cell), mlawson@umn.edu.