Topic: Science & Technology An Ethical Cigarette? British
American Tobacco (BAT) claims that it has developed a "safer
cigarette" that will cut the risk of smoking-related diseases
such as cancer and heart failure by up to 90%. The new
cigarettes purportedly use tobacco treated to produce lower
levels of cancer-causing chemicals, and employ a revolutionary
type of filter that will remove more of the remaining toxins. A
welcome technological advance that will save the lives of
thousands? Or a cynical ploy designed to keep smokers chained to
their deadly habit? Anti-smoking forces in America and Britain
have pre-condemned the new product before it has even seen the
light of day (its market debut is scheduled for early next
year). Typical is the reaction of Professor John Britton, a
British epidemiologist, who sneered: "Anything involving
inhaling smoke is unsafe. These new cigarettes could be more
like jumping from the 15th floor instead of the 20th:
theoretically the risk is less but you still die." Isn't this