Daily Doc: PM, Mar 29, 1995: Menthol and Nicotine 'Impact'
Daily Doc: Menthol and Nicotine "Impact"
Title: THE EFFECTS OF MENTHOL / NICOTINE INTERACTIONS ON PERCEIVED 'IMPACT'
PM, Mar 29, 1995
Bates #: 2028817905
December 7, 2000
Of all the possible flavors, why do cigarette makers add menthol to cigarettes?
A number of documents (including this one, which relates results of a study done at Philip Morris' overseas lab for biological studies, INBIFO ) reveal that menthol enhances the sensory, or drug effect, of nicotine.
"It was found that menthol increased 'impact' for the low nicotine delivery cigarette...as a function of the menthol content."and,
"It was concluded that menthol has a pronounced effect on nicotine-derived 'impact.'"The term "impact" when used in industry documents is frequently offset in quotes. In position papers, Philip Morris' official definition of the term "impact" is a "feeling sensation rather than odor or taste." They further compare it to the carbonation in soda pop or the spicy heat in chili peppers. People who have worked inside the industry, though, tell us that "impact" refers to the drug effect of a substance, particularly nicotine.
---> In reading large numbers of documents, it is interesting to see that Philip Morris performed many (and what appears to be the majority) of its human biological studies internally on their own R&D (Research and Development Department) employees. What could have been the reason that PM avoided using outside subjects? What could have been the effect on the employees?
CITATION
Title: THE EFFECTS OF MENTHOL / NICOTINE INTERACTIONS ON PERCEIVED 'IMPACT'
Type of Document: Scientific report
Author: INBIFO, INSTITUT FUR BIOLOGISCHE FORSCHUNG (Philip Morris' overseas lab for biological studies)
Recipient: N/A
Date: 19950329
Site: Philip Morris document site http://www.pmdocs.com/
Page Count 1
Bates No. 2028817905
URL: http://www.pmdocs.com/getallimg.asp?DOCID=2028817905
Litigation Usage: None yet
Found Using Search Criteria: "menthol/nicotine"
QUOTES
Little is known about the subjective interactions between menthol and nicotine in cigarette smoke. Specifically, the effects of menthol on nicotine-derived "impact" have not been investigated. The present experiment thought to determine whether menthol affects nicotine-derived "impact" and, if so, to determine the nature of the menthol/nicotine interaction.
...The cigarettes used in the study contained factorial combinations of 3 levels of nicoitne...and 4 levels of menthol. Twenty R&D smokers smoked each of the 12 cigarette types. They related "impact" on a 7-point scale by means of a descriptive ballot.
It was found that menthol increased "impact" for the low nicotine delivery cigarette...as a function of the menthol content. Low and intermediate menthol level additions to cigarettes delivering 0.91 mg/cig. nicotine decreased "impact." [added in handwritten note: The effect of menthol was most pronounced for the cigarette with the lowest nicotine delivery.] .... It was concluded that menthol has a pronounced effect on nicotine-derived "impact." Therefore, menthol levels must be considered when targeting cigarettes for degree of perceived "impact."
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