Tobacco Company to Test Effectiveness of ’Less Toxic’ Cigarettes

British American Tobacco (BAT) is testing the effectiveness of new cigarettes that the company claims emit less-toxic smoke, The Financial Times reported May 9.

BAT’s three prototype cigarettes include new filters and tobacco that has been treated with enzymes to help create less toxicants as they burn.

More than 200 volunteers are being recruited in Hamburg, Germany to use the experimental cigarettes. Subjects will undergo a series of scientific tests to measure their biological reactions to the prototype products, and to find out if and how much the cigarettes reduce their exposure to toxicants.

David O’Reilly, head of public health and scientific affairs at BAT, said the science is now available to make smoking safer.

The study’s results are slated to be published in a scientific journal in 2010.