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Show Columbia University Backs 'Safe Cigarette' Discovery A separate corporation has been set up by Columbia University to license a unique cigarette filter as two major tobacco companies have indicated little interest in the item. Columbia University told reporters that "since people are going to smoke anyway we might as well produce the safest cigarette possible." pos-sible." He added further that he hopes the filter will not of itself lead to a hgher consumption of tobacco to-bacco in the form of cigarettes. American Tobacco and Phillip Morris have expressed an interest in the product but are hesitant to incorporate the filter into their cigarettes cig-arettes before it has been tested. Phillip Morris however did offer to help in the development of the product. Robert L. Strikman, a smoker and a chemist, first developed the filter but couldn't "get past the doors of the tobacco companies." He claims the filter is three times more effective than existing filters in eliminating tars and nicotine nico-tine . . . the two items the U.S. Surgeon-General has linked to cancer. can-cer. Stickman initiated the filter research re-search after watching both of his parents die of cancer. |
