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"We''re being very careful about not rushing the scientific development," said evp and chief counsel Paul Perito. "We''re looking at the issue of proving that reduced exposure to toxin equals reduced risk. In the meantime, we''re very conservative and are recommending that other companies refrain from making health claims."Brown & Williamson contracted to buy 1.5 million pounds of the Star-cured tobacco, about half the expected harvest from this year''s growing season, beringdominicanhallmarkcigar ending in October. The No. 3 producer of Kool, Capri, Misty and GPC will beringdominicanhallmarkcigar have low-nitrosamine cigarettes on the market within a year. Other firms are buying smaller amounts, while R.J. Reynolds is field-testing its own process for reducing tobacco toxins. Separately, Star this month will debut activated charcoal filters on all its brands.The focus on nitrosamines comes amid legislation pending in Canada proposing to add more information on labeling about tobacco''s toxic constituents and specific warnings about nitrosamines being the most active cancer-causing agent in cigarettes. Also, a World Health Organization gathering in May recommended beringdominicanhallmarkcigar that cigarette brands unable to conform to a standard ceiling of nitrosamine content should be excluded from markets.

Q: Is the duration of exposure to passive smoke an important factor?A: The duration and intensity of exposure are important. Most studies show a so-called "dose-response" beringdominicanhallmarkcigar relationship beringdominicanhallmarkcigar between the level of exposure to secondhand smoke and disease and death rates. People who are the least exposed have the lowest disease rates; those exposed for the longest amount of time to the highest concentrations of smoke have the highest rates. Spouses of smokers, workers beringdominicanhallmarkcigar regularly exposed at the worksite, and people who frequent smoke-filled bars, restaurants, and casinos are at high risk. Of course, infants and children of parents and caregivers who smoke are at high risk as well. Exposure of babies and children to tobacco smoke in an automobile should never happen.

To be sure, the merchandising contracts are not pushing minor brands out of stores completely. Retailers have found that some deep-discount brands offer attractive margins compared with the big boys. But for the smaller players, getting their products into the store can be an uphill climb."The big beringdominicanhallmarkcigar manufacturers make the contract requirements difficult for retailers to understand so they don''t know what is allowed," said Keith Grover, marketing manager for Sante Fe Natural Tobacco, maker of Natural American Spirit cigarettes. "We try to understand those programs and explain to retailers that, for instance, temporary price tags on the rack are permissible. But there''s a lot of ignorance about merchandising programs and retailers are unable to make an objective decision about profitability. Many times they don''t believe us."In a more recent development, the big tobacco companies have been pushing their merchandising away from tobacco-only outlets and toward c-stores, where price is secondary to availability for customers already used to paying a premium for other purchases, per a recent Convenience Store News survey.