Tobacco Documents Online

. , fis WALL ST. JOURNAL New York, N. Y. March 3 1967 British Venture to' Work On Substitute f or Tobacco LONDON - (AP) - Two of Britain's biggest companles announced they an worlitng on a aubstitute for tobacco. Imperial Tobacco Co.. Britain'e largeat cigaret producer, and Imperial Chemieal! Industiies Ltd., Britain's biggeatt single corporation, said they.have formed a Jolntt au.bsidlary, to continue research that Impe- ris.lChemlcal haa conducted for the past year...The concerns said~Imperlal Chemical~ began its research In an attempt to save the milllons whichBritain spends on im- porung tobacco, mainly from the U.S. Imperial Chemical said it' 1s worktng on one possible tobacco substitute baae on a carbohydrate rnatedal. Neither company would describe the material furtherbuti said the work was at.anadvancedetage. An~Impetial Tobacco spokesman said, "The health aepectt did not spark off, the: Idea but any effect on health of thenewe materials will bee carefully evaluated . dur- . ing the research and development work. It: Is an exceedingly dtfticulfand , complex .. problem and it may takee a few years be- fore any acceptabieproduct ia achleved.." -Industrlalsources saldthis.lsthe first attempt: In Britain to find, a synthetic to- tiaceo, though similar studies have been madeln the U.S:and F.urope. TIM TIMES lOO 3a4 3 ~/ London, England March 27, 1967 THE TIMES London, England March 27 1967 T'HE NEW YORK TIMES New York, N. Y. March 27. 1967 - BRITISH DEVELOPING TOBACCO SUBSTITUTE ' ae/eY tui- awr Tat tty LONDON. Mardt 26 - BtitA ain'i biggest chM•icat manufso- tum and biggest tobacco com- pany have joined forces to de- velop synthetic . tobacco, st waa announced tontghtG "All health hasards are bet6g thoroughly investigated in the researdt.'•P a spokesman for the companies said when asked if the new product would elitln(nste the risk to cigarette smokers of 1uag canceetwo. 1be cmupanies are Im- thp~ sImp~erl~Tcbac~m p mpaa dy.Last', week.they formed a com- E3~eDy (iwi54moi nominal called Imp pii l~Doi`- velopmentA, Ltd., "to taka ovee the davelopment and mamtlao-ture of, any new smokiag aoa.i tesial to enserge ltom the ra- sean'h pt^~gram•" The apokesman described the, utimate product as "A htghl,y~ compleyxdsruybt~stance, based oa ttie~suah as cellulose, ~ ,malor constituents ofnataral tobacco and most other vege-. ~tablematerlal, together witb .certain other materiata°. He said "it tnayy be years be- fore an acceptable product [s marketed'- and that ttis cost oflJ research would be "'quita awb- stanHe added that the:ptro7aet was' still tnan early stage of deoel-,opmeatand that eventually the substitute "wlll look ltke naturali tobacco and tts taste wlll satfa[T smokeaa.^ . 063o4al t: SEARCH FOR SYNTHETIC CIGARETTE LC.I. and Imps project Imperial Chemical Industries and the Imperial Tobacco Company have formed a new company to develop synthetic tobacco, company executives announced last night. Chemists at I.C:I: s Nobel division factory at Stevenston, Ayrshire, have been conducting research into new materials with Imperial Tobacco Co. ,chemists- Development is still at an early stage. It is intended that the new company, Imperial Developments, Ltd., will take over all the development and manufac- ture of any new smoking material that emerges from the research progtamma First moves in the formation of the new company came from I.C.I, which has for some time been investigating ways of cutting down imports of ratrw materials for the cigarette industry. Imps and I.C.I. searcli; V-• v-- - By JOHN' PRICE 1 A new company, Imperial Developments Ltd., haa been set up by Imperial Chemical Industries and Imperiali Tobacco to carry out the development of possible new forms of smoking materiaL The company, registered with a capital of f300 at the end of last week, has been formed as a result of research which has been going on for the past year at LC.L's Nobel Division at Stevenston, Ayrs)iire. Work is at an advanced stage. erial Tobacco has been assisting in Im p the research programme and it is plinned that the new company willitake over all the development and manufacture of any' new smoking materiali which emerges I from the research programme. LC.L will hold two-thirds of the issued share capital of the company and Imperiall Tobacco one-third.'First moves in the formation of the new company came from I.C.I., which has for some time been investigating possible ways of eutting down on the importing of raw materials for the cigarette industty. The idea of prodncing an aeaptable alternative to tobacco is not new and' a number of attempts have been made in the past to discover a substitute. A spokesman for LC.L said'last night that the possibilities for a breakthrough were might be some years before a commeni- ally acceptable product was achieved. Work at'Stevenston is now proceed- ing on one possible tobacco substitute " based on carbo-hydrate material i such as eellulose" which is a major eonstitu- ent of nawral tobaoco and of most other vegetable matter with certain additiond' substances. The material would look exactly like tobacco and taste the same. Throughout the research stages into the possible new smoking• material the health factor has been kept under cloie scrutiny. The two companies will con- tinue to evaluate the possible significance of this. Although this is the first time that positive research has been under- taken in this country for a "synthetic" tobacco, there has been close study both not yet definite. He estimated that it in the United'. States and Europe. : 's r.7,..., .', ; _.n e, •. h}~. M`r : ct' ~~„~~ *aaa~t i ~-~~M:. _-'".iiS+acF''i*t~e