Alive With Plastic: Lorillard Recalls Some Cigarette Packs

WHAT: In the wake of the cigarette recall announced by Lorillard Inc. this week, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center (Roswell Park) scientists are available to share insights on cigarette content and design features and their impact on addiction and/or health outcomes of tobacco users.

Some non-menthol versions of Newport cigarettes are being recalled by tobacco maker Lorillard, as they may contain pieces of plastic. A company statement said that the “plastic may create respiratory discomfort or irritation.”

Lorillard’s recall of potentially contaminated product is ironic since even without the extra plastic, Lorillard’s cigarettes are unnecessarily dangerous and addictive and should be recalled. This latest event merely highlights the need for greater oversight of tobacco manufacturing practices by the Food and Drug Administration.

WHO: Richard O’Connor, PhD, Department of Health Behavior, Roswell Park, conducts research on the interaction between tobacco products and consumers including how cigarettes are designed and how those designs affect smokers’ perceptions and use of the product.

WHEN: Interviews with Dr. O’Connor are available upon request.

NOTES: Few people understand how tobacco companies have designed their products with the goal of recruiting new youth smokers, creating and sustaining addiction and discouraging smokers from quitting. Tobacco products are highly engineered nicotine-delivery devices, finely tuned to appeal to the taste, smell and feel sensations of smokers.

Most Americans are not aware of the dangerous chemicals in cigarettes and cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, including at least 69 that cause cancer. Other components of tobacco smoke cause respiratory irritation.

The mission of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center (Roswell Park) is to understand, prevent and cure cancer. Roswell Park, founded in 1898, was one of the first cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and remains the only facility with this designation in Upstate New York. The Institute is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers; maintains affiliate sites; and is a partner in national and international collaborative programs. For more information, visit Roswell Park’s website at http://www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-Roswell Park (1-877-275-7724) or email AskRoswell@Roswellpark.org.