Fact Sheet

Low-Yield Cigarettes and Cigarette-Like Products

(updated February 2009)

Cigarette manufacturers have developed cigarettes that deliver less tar or nicotine in standardized machine measurements.^1,2 Brands with machine-measured lower tar levels (i.e., low-yield cigarettes) have been marketed as reduced-risk cigarettes, using terms such as "light" and "ultralight."¹ In 2001, the tobacco industry introduced "cigarette-like" products, such as Eclipse^®, Advance^™, Ariva^®, Exalt^™, and Revel^™.^3,4 Low-yield cigarettes and cigarette-like products are examples of a classification of products referred to as "potentially reduced-exposure products" or PREPs.²

Cigarette Design and Compensatory Smoking

Tar refers to the total particulate matter in smoke, excluding water and alkaloid compounds such as nicotine, as measured by using a standardized protocol on a smoking machine.⁵
Cigarette brands that yield approximately 1–6 mg of tar are generally called "ultralight." Those with approximately 6–15 mg of tar are called "light," and brands yielding more than 15 mg tar are called "regular" or "full flavor."¹
Ventilated cigarette filters are the major innovation behind low-yield cigarettes. Filter vents dilute smoke with air and reduce standard yields of tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide.¹ Currently, 99% of all cigarettes are filtered.⁶
During 1968–1998, the average yield of tar in cigarettes decreased 44%. The average nicotine yield decreased 34%.⁵
Many smokers block the vents or compensate when smoking low-yield cigarettes, thus inhaling more tar and nicotine than measured by machines.⁷ Smokers may get as much tar and nicotine from cigarettes with low-yield ratings as those with higher yields.^1,5

Characteristics of Smokers Who Use Low-Yield Cigarettes

Use of low-tar products increases dramatically as age, education level, and income level increase and use of these products is higher among women than men.¹
Many smokers consider smoking low-yield cigarettes, menthol cigarettes, or additive-free cigarettes to be safer than smoking regular cigarettes.^1,2
Many smokers of low-tar cigarettes may have switched to such brands instead of quitting.⁷ Smokers may be misled by the implied promise of reduced toxicity underlying the marketing of such brands.⁷

Health Risks of Low-Yield Cigarettes

The risk for lung cancer is only slightly lower with low tar cigarettes, and reduced tar levels have little, if any, effect on other lung diseases or heart disease.^7,8
Existing research does not support recommending that smokers switch to low-yield cigarette brands.¹ No convincing evidence exists indicating that changes in cigarette design have resulted in an important decrease in the diseases caused by cigarettes.¹

References

National Cancer Institute. Risks Associated with Smoking Cigarettes with Low Machine-Measured Yields of Tar and Nicotine. Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph 13. Bethesda, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute; 2001 [accessed 2009 Feb 03].
Institute of Medicine. Clearing the Smoke: Assessing the Science Base for Tobacco Harm Prevention. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 2001 [accessed 2009 Feb 03].
Breland AB, Evans SE, Buchhalter AR, Eissenberg T. Acute effects of Advance^™: A Potential Reduced Exposure Product for Smokers. Tobacco Control. 2002;11:376–378 [accessed 2009 Feb 03].
Parascandola M, Hurd A, Augustson E. Consumer Awareness and Attitudes Related to New Potential Reduced-Exposure Tobacco Products. American Journal of Health Behavior. 2008 Jul–Aug;32(4):431–7 [accessed 2009 Feb 03].
Federal Trade Commission. "Tar," Nicotine, and Carbon Monoxide of the 1294 Varieties of Domestic Cigarettes for the Year 1998. (PDF–243 KB) Washington, DC: Federal Trade Commission; 2000 [accessed 2009 Feb 03].
Federal Trade Commission. Cigarette Report for 2004 and 2005. (PDF–880 KB) Washington, DC: Federal Trade Commission; 2007 [accessed 2009 Feb 03].
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Reducing Tobacco Use: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; 2000 [accessed 2009 Feb 03].
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; 2004 [accessed 2009 Feb 03].

For Further Information

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Office on Smoking and Health
E-mail: tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov
Phone: 1-800-CDC-INFO

Media Inquiries: Contact CDC's Office on Smoking and Health press line at 770-488-5493.

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Page last reviewed 02/05/2009
Page last updated 02/05/2009

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