We do not know. There is no current public list of tobacco additives.
But what we do know is that increasing the amount of nicotine in cigarettes is in the best interest of Big Tobacco corporations. Big Tobacco wants you to treat signs of nicotine withdrawal with more nicotine! And we also know that tobacco companies used to add nicotine to tobacco in the past. We explore more about nicotine additives in cigarettes here.
Enriched nicotine cigarettes
Big Tobacco wants you to be addicted to nicotine. But to what lengths have they gone to add nicotine to cigarettes? Cigars addictive nicotine levels may be surprisingly high (as much nicotine in one cigar as a pack of cigarettes) but there is one difference. Cigars tend to have less additives of nicotine. Here’s what we know of nicotine additives in cigarettes from the past.
First, they discovered that the potential for increased nicotine delivery or increased speed of nicotine delivery can be based on cigarette design features such as filter vents, pH, and the total nicotine content of the tobacco. And then they ran with it.
In 1963 American Tobacco Company (ATC) consultants recommended impregnating a carbon tip with nicotine to transfer 22% of added nicotine to the smoke. They also tried adding nicotine citrate to reconstituted tobacco to triple its nicotine content, And 11 years later, in 1974 ATC added nicotine to tobacco extract which is applied to reconstituted tobacco, doubling the nicotine content of the reconstituted tobacco. In as many ways as tobacco companies can think of, they have or will try to increase nicotine to cigarettes. These include:
- adding nicotine to the “dip casing”
- adding nicotine to “finishing flavor”
- adding nicotine to reconstituted tobacco
- changes in tobacco blend
- putting nicotine in a filter tip
Plus, cigarettes have added constituents
And just to paint an accurate picture, tobacco companies can include added constituents to their cigarettes. What is an added constituent, you may ask? An added constituent to cigarettes means any ingredient, substance, chemical or compound other than tobacco, water or reconstituted tobacco sheet, which is added by the manufacturer to the tobacco, paper or filter of a cigarette or the tobacco of a smokeless tobacco product during the processing, manufacture, or packing of the cigarette or smokeless tobacco product. I think that you get the point – there is a lot that Big Tobacco can add. Just as long as they report it.
Nicotine additives and the law
The Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act (FCLAA), Public Law 89–92, and Comprehensive Smokeless Tobacco Health Education Act (CSTHEA), Public Law 99–252, require CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health to collect, store, and analyze the list of ingredients added to cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products. These lists remain confidential and are not shared with the public.
Also, the FDA is responsible for implementing the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Tobacco Control Act), which gives the agency the authority to regulate the manufacture, marketing, and distribution of tobacco products. Some of the FDA’s responsibilities under the law include setting tobacco product standards. So will the FDA try to reduce nicotine levels in products?
They don’t know yet. In fact, the FDA has not yet evaluated this issue. The Tobacco Control Act allows the FDA to establish tobacco product standards such as nicotine yields if they protect public health. However, The Tobacco Control Act specifically states that FDA is prohibited from requiring the reduction of the nicotine yields of a tobacco product to zero.
Is nicotine added to smokes?
In sum, we don’t know if nicotine is added to cigarettes at the moment. But it’s a rather obvious assumption that they do. What’s your opinion
Reference sources: CDC Tobacco ingredient and nicotine reporting
Pharmacological and Chemical Effects of Cigarette Additives
Related Posts