Health New Zealand Ltd

tobacco and nicotine researchers founded 1995

Dr Murray Laugesen Public health physician

Health New Zealand Ltd Lyttelton 8082.

Member, Society for Research on Nicotine & Tobaccowww.healthnz.co.nz hnz@healthnz.co.nz

03 3288688, 0274 884 375Independent of government and industry.

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What the industry knew (how to reduce cyanide in its products), when they knew it (1965) and what they did about it (nothing)

• Charcoal, as in WW2 gas masks, absorbs toxic gases.

• 45 years ago BAT cigarette company scientists reported that charcoal can reduce toxic aldehydes and hydrogen cyanide emissions in cigarette smoke by 75%-80%.

• Hydogen cyanide is still found in regular quantities in (the smoke of) all BAT cigarettes tested. Charcoal is not found in BAT or other cigarette filters in NZ, except for Japan Tobacco’s Mild Seven brand.

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• Murray Laugesen, Jefferson Fowles. Scope for regulation of cigarette smoke toxicity: the case for including charcoal filters. NZMedJ 2005;118: no.1213. www.nzma.org.nz/journal/118-1213/1402/

• British American Tobacco Company. 54 page document, circa 1965. Guildford miscellaneous collection. Available online. URL: http://tobaccodocuments.org/guildford_misc/402368992-9045.html Accessed April 2005.

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NZ cigarettes are irredeemably toxic: Health New Zealand Ltd research

2005 NZ Med J Mild Sevens Has carbon filter, but token only. Toxic emissions no less.

2005 NZ Med J Same toxicants in much the same rank order are found in the smoke of the common cigarette brands we studied in NZ.

2006 Tobacco Control Marlboro UltraSmooth, state of the art carbon filter. Toxicity no less than Holiday brand after allowing for nicotine.

2008 Commerce Commission. Comparison of light and mild cigarette brands with regular brands sold in New Zealand .2008. Milds no less dangerous.

2009 BMC Public Health Clinical testing of RYO smokers. RYOs just as toxic as factory made cigarettes.

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Cigarettes highly addictive for adolescents, particularly girls

• Diminished autonomy over tobacco can appear with the first cigarettes

• Robert Scragg, Robert J. Wellman, Murray Laugesen, Joseph R. DiFranza, DiFranza J, Scragg R, Laugesen M, Wellman R.

Addictive Behaviors 2008. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2007.12.002

based on ASH NZ surveys of 96,000 year 10

students.

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As lost autonomy (%) increases (striped columns), the proportion who report they now never smoke,

falls to near zero (black columns)

Scragg et al. 2008 ASH NZ surveys, 96,000 year 10 students, 2002-4

25% autonomylost with first cigarette

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Policies are needed to reduce exposure of current and future smokers to the highly

addictive tobacco products currently sold

• The under-18s law does not prevent young people taking up smoking. They obtain instead from older siblings, friends.* The law is not protecting the younger generation.

• Banning sales to adults will protect the young.• Meantime, nicotine in cigarettes is excessive**

and needs to be lowered (by nicotine tax, or by sinking lid on all brands).

______________________________________ *Laugesen & Scragg ASH surveys NZMedJ.**Laugesen, Blakely et al. NZ Public Health Report 1997.

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Nicotine E-cigarette: Classified as a medicine: sale banned.

• Nicotine inhaled, not smoke.*• Preferred to nicotine inhaler**• Relieves cravings**• Puts nicotine into blood**

• Toxic emissions 100 times less than for cigarettes.*

• No deaths reported. Sales

over 1 million.

** Health NZ and University of Auckland, funded by Ruyan.* Health New Zealand and 8 laboratories, funded by Ruyan, www.healthnz.co.nz/News2010.htm

Photo: NZ Herald

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Nicotine Pyruvate Aerosol vaporiser system Delivers nicotine to lung like a cigarette

Tested by Health New Zealand Ltd at Christchurch Clinical Studies Trust laboratories Tuam St, Christchurch, in 2009, for Duke University, USA