Low-Yield Cigarettes

“Low-yield cigarettes” are those that tobacco manufacturers label “light,” “low,” or “mild.”

Tobacco advertisements once implied that “low-yield” cigarettes were safer than regular or “full-flavor” cigarettes.^1,2 However, low-yield cigarettes are not less harmful to health than regular cigarettes.¹

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009 now prohibits manufacturers from selling or distributing any tobacco products that have “light,” “low,” or “mild” on their labels.³

Cigarette Descriptors and Design

In the past, the tobacco industry categorized low-yield cigarettes using measurements of tar on standardized smoking machines.¹

• Cigarette brands that yielded approximately 1–6 milligrams (mg) of tar were called “ultra light.”
• Those with approximately 6–15 mg of tar were called “light.”
• Brands yielding more than 15 mg of tar were called “regular” or “full flavor.”

The following cigarette design changes made over the past decades affected the tar and nicotine measurements:^1,2,4

• Addition of different size and density filters
• Ventilation holes in the cigarettes to bring in air and dilute the smoke measured
• Chemical additives in the paper and/or tobacco
• Tobacco (i.e., using different types, blends, and curing methods)

Changes in cigarette design have not made cigarettes safe.^1,5

• Changes in cigarette design have not been scientifically shown to lead to a decrease in diseases caused by smoking cigarettes.

Compensatory Smoking

Most smokers are addicted to nicotine. Smokers may compensate when smoking low-yield cigarettes in order to take in more nicotine.^1,5,6,7

• Many smokers block the ventilation holes, thus inhaling more tar and nicotine than measured by machines.
• Many smokers inhale longer, harder, and more frequently when smoking low-yield cigarettes to get more nicotine.
• Smokers may get as much or more tar and nicotine from cigarettes with low-yield ratings as from regular cigarettes because of the ways they compensate when smoking them.

Smokers Who Use Low-Yield Cigarettes

• Many smokers consider smoking low-yield cigarettes, menthol cigarettes, or additive-free cigarettes to be safer than smoking regular cigarettes. However, no strong scientific evidence exists to support these beliefs.^1,2,5
• Many smokers may have switched to low-yield brands instead of quitting.^1,5,6
• Tar and nicotine levels decreased from 1954 to 1993.
  • Tar decreased from 38 mg in 1954 to 12 mg in 1993; nicotine decreased from 2.7 mg to 0.95 mg.
  • Tar and nicotine levels have remained stable since 1993.⁴

Health Risks of Smoking

• Changes in cigarette designs over the last five decades have not reduced overall disease risk among smokers. In fact, they might have hindered prevention and cessation efforts.⁴
• Overall health of the public could be harmed if low-yield cigarette products
  • encourage tobacco use among people who would otherwise be unlikely to use a tobacco product, or
  • delay cessation among people who would otherwise quit using tobacco altogether.⁴

References

1. National Cancer Institute. Risks Associated with Smoking Cigarettes with Low Machine-Measured Yields of Tar and Nicotine. Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph 13. Bethesda: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, 2001 [accessed 2017 Jul 21].
2. Institute of Medicine. Clearing the Smoke: Assessing the Science Base for Tobacco Harm Prevention. Washington: National Academy Press, 2001 [cited 2017 Jul 21].
3. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Guidance for Industry and FDA Staff: Use of “Light,” “Mild,” “Low,” or Similar Descriptors in the Label, Labeling, or Advertising of Tobacco Products. Rockville (MD): U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Tobacco Products, 2010 [accessed 2017 Jul 21].
4. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: The Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease. A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2010 [accessed 2017 Jul 21].
5. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Light and Low Tar Fact Sheets.
   [PDF–180.59 KB]Washington: Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 2010 [accessed 2017 Jul 21].
6. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Reducing Tobacco Use: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: 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 2017 Jul 21].
7. Public Health Law Center. Light/Low-Yield Cigarettes. St. Paul (MN): Public Health Law Center, 2010 [accessed 2017 Jul 21].