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Search for a Safe Cigarette
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Program Overview
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Cigarettes are one of the most dangerous consumer products on the
market. They are also one of the least regulated. NOVA chronicles
scientific efforts over the past 50 years to achieve the elusive
goal of a safe cigarette.
The program:
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chronicles the tobacco industry's development of cigarettes over
the past 50 years, reviewing ongoing attempts to reduce the
hazardous chemicals in cigarette smoke.
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describes the components of cigarette smoke and its harmful
effects on the respiratory and circulatory systems.
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traces cigarette advertising over time, including a period when
the industry marketed smoking as a positive lifestyle choice
while secretly working to eliminate dangerous toxins in tobacco
smoke.
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notes that the cigarette industry chose not to market "safer"
cigarettes for fear of lawsuits resulting from the implication
that previous products were dangerous.
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provides statistics on cigarette use, production, health, and
money involved in the industry.
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raises the question of the lack of federal regulatory oversight
by pointing out that cigarettes are not subject to the same
testing procedures required of other consumer products.
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