|
WIGAND DESCRIBES HOW LEVELS OF NICOTINE ARE MANIPULATED Q. How did Brown & Williamson manipulate levels of nicotine in cigarettes? MR. BEZANSON: Object to the form.
A. There are a number of ways you manipulate nicotine levels. One way is to use additives.
MR. MOTLEY:
Q. Go ahead.
A. Those additives are usually in the form of nitrogenous bases.
Q. I'm going to interrupt you every now and then so you can explain what a scientific term is. What does nitrogenous bases mean?
A. Nicotine as it exists in a plant for tobacco is locked up in an inactive form as a sol [salt]. In order to free that sol [salt] to be pharmacologically active, you need to change the pH. You need to change the pH of tobacco. You also need to change the pH of the smoke, such that you convert total nicotine to free nicotine. Free nicotine is pharmacologically active. Nicotine as a sol [salt], as in the tobacco itself, is not pharmacologically active.
MR. MOTLEY:
Q. What other ways, sir, did you learn Brown & Williamson manipulated the levels of nicotine in cigarettes?
A. Well, you can also-- They also utilized blending techniques, blending techniques in terms of flue cured to burley ratios as a way of assuring the appropriate nicotine level. The other way is by looking at a genetically-engineered tobacco called--
|
