WASHINGTON — The Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday that it no longer considers reliable a test for tar and nicotine used for more than 40 years and touted by the tobacco industry in marketing “light” and “low-tar” cigarettes.
The FTC said it may rescind its guidance on tar and nicotine yields that is based on that test. The commission said if the guidance is withdrawn, advertisers should no longer use terms suggesting FTC endorsement or approval of any specific test method.
The Cambridge Filter Method is a machine-based test that smokes cigarettes according to a standard procedure and is sometimes referred to as “the FTC method.”
The FTC issued its guidance in 1966 at a time when most public-health officials believed reducing the amount of tar produced by a cigarette could reduce a smoker’s risk of lung cancer. But the FTC said Tuesday scientists now believe the test does not provide meaningful information on relative amounts of tar and nicotine people are likely to get from smoking different brands of cigarettes.
