Search For a Safe Cigarette

Supporters and critics alike of the tobacco industry will find much to ponder and discuss in this episode of NOVA that looks at alternatives to burning the same old leaves to deliver nicotine to the bloodstream. With an estimated 15 billion cigarettes consumed daily, critics of the industry claim the “tobacco industry will do anything it can to keep smokers smoking.” Indeed, tobacco is a cherished American financial staple, with farmers able to reap 20 times as much profit per acre for tobacco over grain (and tobacco, it should be recalled, helped finance the American Revolution). So, even though 420,000 Americans are said to be dying prematurely each year from the effects of smoking, cigarette companies are preparing a new generation of what they call “reduced risk products.” According to research, it's not the nicotine (though addictive) that causes health problems, but the toxic chemicals created as a result of the combustion process. A number of technologies are examined here, from microwave-cured tobacco leaves (with significantly lower toxin levels) to electronically controlled systems of glycerine and water vapor mixed with the good stuff via a cigarette-like tube. Interestingly enough, the reduced-risk products don't seem to be significant performers in the marketplace. Meanwhile, even though tobacco sales are down, profits are good for Philip Morris, R.J. Reynolds, and others, who recovered from the payout of the tobacco settlement by using larger quantities of foreign (and much cheaper) sources of tobacco. While the quest for safer cigarettes may ultimately uncover a method to deliver the pleasing effects of nicotine without the health risk, there's little doubt that the tobacco companies' motives are related to the profit margin bottom line. Highly recommended. Editors Choice. Aud: H, C, P. (C. Block)