[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 15 (Friday, January 23, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3575-3576]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-1650]
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FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
Cigarette Testing; Extension of Deadline for Submission of Public
Comments
AGENCY: Federal Trade Commission.
ACTION: Extension of deadline for submission of comments on proposed
[[Page 3576]]
revisions to the Federal Trade Commission methodology for determining
tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide yields of cigarettes, and on a
proposed format for disclosing the resulting ratings in advertising.
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SUMMARY: The Federal Trade Commission (``FTC'' or ``Commission'') is
extending until February 4, 1998 the deadline for filing comments on
its proposed revisions to the testing method used to determine the tar,
nicotine, and carbon monoxide ratings of cigarettes, and on two
possible formats for disclosure of those test results.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Shira D. Modell, Division of Advertising Practices, Federal Trade
Commission, Sixth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington,
D.C. 20580, (202) 326-3116.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On September 9, 1997, the Commission issued
a notice proposing changes to the methodology currently used to
determine cigarette ratings for tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide. See
62 FR 48,158 (Sept. 12, 1997). The proposed methodology would produce
tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide yields using both the current
testing parameters and more intensive smoking conditions, thus
producing a range of potential yields for each cigarette. The
Commission requested comment on those proposed changes to the testing
methodology, and on the feasibility of generating the upper tier of
tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide ratings through mathematical
formulas, rather than actual testing on a smoking machine. The
Commission also placed on the public record two different legends that
could be used in advertising to disclose the ratings and sought comment
on the usefulness and feasibility of these potential disclosure
formats. Finally, comment was requested on alternative approaches that
were considered but not proposed by the Commission. The deadline for
submission of the requested comments was November 17, 1997.
On October 29, 1997, the Commission announced that, pursuant to
requests submitted by, among others, the Food and Drug Administration
and the four largest cigarette manufacturers, it had decided to extend
the filing deadline until January 20, 1998. See 62 FR 58,972 (Oct. 31,
1997).
The Commission has now received a request for further extension of
the filing deadline from Prospect Associates, which serves as the
Coordinating Center for the National Cancer Institute's Project ASSIST
(American Stop Smoking Intervention Study). The Coordinating Center and
the 17 states that ASSIST funds seek this extension so they can
incorporate into their comment newly available data relevant to the
issues raised by the Commission's proposal, including new data from
smoking machine tests conducted pursuant to a methodology promulgated
by Massachusetts.
In light of the significance of the issues addressed by the
Commission's September 1997 proposal, the deadline for submitting
comments on that proposal is hereby extended until February 4, 1998.
By direction of the Commission.
Donald S. Clark,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 98-1650 Filed 1-22-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6750-01-M
