The provision of clear, understandable information printed on tobacco packages concerning content is a fundamental component of public health education. It alerts the public to the dangers of smoking, provides a starting point for health education programs, puts the weight of government and health authorities behind a tobacco control policy, and helps smokers choose brands with lower tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide (CO) delivery.(36) However, the community should not be given the impression that lower tar cigarettes are a safe option (see Chapter 3, Section 12).
Labelling of tar and nicotine levels on cigarette packages first occurred in 1982, when the Australian tobacco manufacturers and importers entered a voluntary arrangement with the federal government. New agreements were reached in 1986 and 1988, resulting in reductions in maximum allowable yields for Corrected Particulate Matter (CPM or tar), nicotine and CO.
Under the voluntary agreements, levels of tar, nicotine and CO were categorised by band. This means that instead of stating the precise yield of the substances, manufacturers printed the maximum level contained according to categories defined in the provisions of the agreement.(24) Prescribed wording for the lowest band was '4 mg CPM ('tar') or less, 0.4 mg nicotine or less, 5 mg CO or less as per Government agreed method.'
In their voluntary agreements, the manufacturers were at pains to point out that they do not believe that tobacco smoking causes disease: included in the preamble to the 1988 agreement was the disclaimer that by agreeing to abide by the provisions of the code, the signatory is 'in no way' admitting 'that either Corrected Particulate Matter (sometimes referred to as 'tar') or nicotine have any significance in relation to human health', or that 'any relationships exist between smoking and human health'.(24) The manufacturers' continued denials about the health consequences of tobacco smoking are interesting, in light of the Australian Tobacco Research Foundation (now known as the Smoking and Health Research Foundation of Australia), which they jointly sponsor, having stated publicly that smoking does cause disease (see Chapter 14, Section 21).
During 1992 and 1993, the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy (MCDS) undertook an extensive review of package contents and health warnings labelling. Among its proposals were recommendations that tobacco packages should provide clear information about the toxic content of cigarettes, including actual measurements of smoke yields.(37) In March 1994, the Federal Government introduced new regulations governing package labelling,(33) effectively superseding the voluntary agreement. In regulations enforceable under the Trade Practices Act 1974, more explicit contents labelling has been introduced. Manufacturers and importers were given until January 1995 to comply with the regulations. (Health warnings on tobacco packages also come within the ambit of this legislation and are discussed in Section 5.6 below).
The regulations state that the following information must be printed on the side of a cigarette packet:
The smoke from each cigarette contains, on average:
[xx] mg or less of tar -- condensed smoke containing many chemicals, including some that cause cancer;
[yy] mg or less of nicotine -- a poisonous and addictive drug;
[zz] mg or less of carbon monoxide -- a deadly gas which reduces the ability of blood to carry oxygen.
The information must be printed in black typeface on a white background, and should occupy the whole of the side of a typical flip-top cigarette packet, excluding the portion which forms part of the lid. The message must occupy at least 25% of the side of cartons of cigarettes.
As under previous voluntary agreements, average amounts of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide have been categorised by band. The regulations specify that average content of cigarettes may not exceed 16 mg of tar, 1.5 mg of nicotine or 20 mg of carbon monoxide, levels slightly higher than those stipulated by the final voluntary agreement. Levels of these substances are to be tested according to the standard methods published by the International Standards Organization.(33)
The new regulations for labelling of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide levels should help raise awareness among smokers about the nature of these substances. Section 5.5 below shows that labelling requirements under the voluntary agreements have not adequately informed smokers.
Adjectives commonly added to brand names by the tobacco manufacturers such as 'mild' and 'light' do not necessarily convey important information about toxic levels, since brands with these labels may not have an especially low tar content. (See Smoke Yield Table, Appendix IV). The Federal Government has warned manufacturers that they may take action to ensure more accurate use of descriptive labelling.(38)