Correspondence

I am glad to report that there have been at least three promising developments in the quest for a safer cigarette. As I pointed out in my recent editorial on the topic,1 “at least one company, Vector To-bacco Inc. is trying to capture the market consisting of smokers who cannot, or will not, give up their habit, but are afraid of its health consequences. As a result, Omni cigarettes2 are now being promoted as “the first premium cigarette created to signifi-cantly reduce carcinogenic PAHs, nitro-samins, catechols, and organics, which are the major causes of lung cancer in smok-ers.3 Whether or not such cigarettes will reduce lung cancer incidence is unclear, since as the accompanying Surgeon Gen-eral’s warning points out, “Reductions in carcinogens (PAHs, nitrosamins, catechols and organics) have NOT been proven to result in a safer cigarette. ” This closing statement appears to be no longer true. On June 27, 2002, the Vector Group issued a press release describing how an independ-ent research laboratory had treated the skins of 40 mice with smoke condensate of Omni cigarettes and those of a further 40 with the condensate of the leading US na-tional brand.4 In these tests, 68 % of the mice treated with normal cigarette smoke condensate developed skin tumours, com-pared to only 20 % of the group exposed to the Omni condensate. These test results certainly suggest that Omni cigarettes maybe less carcinogenic that at least one major competitor’s brand. I have brought the value of selenium supplementation to Vector Tobacco Inc.’s attention and the company appears to be giving the trace element serious consideration.5 Beyond this, Thione International Inc. has developed an antioxidant complex, (a major component of which is glutathione) which is designed to reduce free radical damage. The company is currently work-ing with four tobacco manufacturers to test cigarettes with filters containing this anti-oxidant complex.6 In addition, Thione In-ternational Inc. is planning to market loz-enge and spray forms of its antioxidant complex as “tobacco remediation ” tools. I also am glad to report that the recent safe cigarette editorial, published in th