Selective Filtration: The Fact Cigarette

Selective filtration, the approach first legitimized in 1962 by Lorillard's new filter for its Kent brand, is the focus of several of the documents. B&W developed the Fact brand of cigarette around a filter designed to selectively remove certain volatile compounds, such as acetaldehyde and acrolein, from cigarette smoke (16). Introduced in 1975, Fact was on the market for only a few years.

In November 1977 B&W contracted with Celanese Fibers Company to analyze the vapor phase constituents of Fact in comparison with the following competing brands: L&M Flavor Lights (Liggett), Real Menthol (RJR), Merit (Philip Morris), and Kent Golden Lights (Lorillard). The Celanese report, dated January 1978, includes analyses of fifty-four different vapor phase constituents for the five different brands {1130.01}. The results for acetaldehyde, acrolein, nitrogen oxide, and cyanide are highlighted with handwritten marks in the results table. The Fact brand had lower values than the competition for acetaldehyde and for cyanide, but it ranked second highest for nitrogen oxide. Acrolein was not measured for Fact. The documents do not indicate what use was to be made of these data. Perhaps they were simply an internal check to see whether the competition had introduced filter additives that had effects similar to those found for Fact cigarettes; perhaps they were obtained to justify possible advertising claims of selective filtration.

In 1979 B&W commissioned a survey of physicians to learn whether they would be responsive to claims of reduced gases in cigarette smoke (see chapter 9).