THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1935
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NEW CIGARETTE TAR TESTS CARRIED OUT
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THE GOVERNMENT CHEMIST HAS CONDUCTED ANOTHER SERIES OF TESTS ON THE CONTENTS OF CIGARETTES ON SALE IN HONG KONG AND THE RESULTS. TO BE PUBLISHED TOMORROW (FRIDAY), SHOW THAT MORE THAN HALF OF THESE BRANDS OF CIGARETTES ARE OF +LOW TAR+ AND LOW TO MIDDLE TAR+.
FIVE SUCH TEST SERIES HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED SINCE 1983. THESE PERIODIC TESTS ARE TO PROVIDE A GUIDANCE TO CIGARETTES SMOKERS ON WHAT THEY ARE INHALING AND TO PROVIDE THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY WITH OFFICIAL TAR GROUP DESIGNATIONS FOR THE IR BRANDS OF CIGARETTE.
THE LATEST SERIES COVERS THE SIX-MONTH PERIOD STARTING FEBRUARY 1985. BASED ON THE FINDINGS, A TOTAL OF 94 SAMPLE BRANDS WERE CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO THE IR TAR CONTENTS INTO ONE OF THE FIVE GROUPS RANGING FROM +LOW TAR+ TO +HIGH TAR+.
OF THESE 94 BRANDS, 20 BELONGED TO THE LOW TAR+ GROUP, 37 IN THE +LOW TO MIDDLE TAR+ GROUP, 30 TO THE MIDDLE TAR+
ONLY ONE GROUP, AND SIX UNDER THE MIDDLE TO HIGH TAR+ GROUP. WAS OF HIGH TAR+.
RESULTS SHOWED THAT THE TAR GROUPS OF MOST. EXCEPT 18 OF THE BRANDS COMPLIED WELL WITH THAT CLAIMED BY THE MANUFACTURERS. OF THOSE 18 BRANDS, THREE WERE FOUND TO BELONG TO A HIGHER TAR GROUP THAN THE LABELLED CLAIMED WHILE THE REMAINING 15 BRANDS WERE FOUND TO BELONG TO A LOWER TAR GROUP THAN THEIR RESPECTIVE CLAIMS.
IT WAS OBSERVED THAT MOST NEW BRANDS ON THE MARKET WERE OF +LOW TAR+ AND +LOW TO MIDDLE TAR+ WHILE BRANDS THAT HAVE BEEN WITHDRAWN FROM THE MARKET BELONGED TO THE MIDDLE TAR+ GROUP.
THIS, TOGETHER WITH THE GRADUAL REDUCTION IN THE TAR YIELDS OF CERTAIN LONG ESTABLISHED BRANDS, IS REFLECTED IN A TREND OF M SLOW BUT STEADY DECLINE IN THE AVERAGE TAR YIELD FOR ALL CIGARETTE BRANDS TESTED.
THE AVERAGE TAR YIELD OF THE SAMPLES IN THE LATEST SERIES WAS 15 MG PER CIGARETTE, WHILE IN PREVIOUS EXERCISES THE FIGURES WERE 17.6 MG, 16.5 MG, 15.5 MG AND 15.4 MG.
A COMPARISON WAS MADE BETWEEN IMPORTED AND LOCALLY MANUFACTURED CIGARETTES AND IT WAS FOUND THAT FOR BOTH TYPES OF CIGARETTES THE MAJORITY OF THE SAMPLE BRANDS HAD FILTERS.
WAS ALSO NOTICED THAT ALL OF THE WERE IMPORTED.
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LOW TAR+ CIGARETTES ON SALE
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