Although the FSPTCA requires the FDA to develop these lists of harmful and potentially harmful constituents in
tobacco smoke and in smokeless tobacco products, there is no scientific or empirical evidence indicating that reducing the level of (or removing) any of these constituents in tobacco smoke would reduce the enormous health risks of tobacco smoke.
Nor is there any scientific or empirical evidence indicating that reducing the level of (or removing) any of these constitutents in smokeless tobacco products marketed in the US would reduce the very small (but often exaggerated) health risks of smokeless tobacco products.
If the FDA desires to base its regulatory decisions on scientific evidence (as the agency has repeatedly claimed), it would not only downplay this counterproductive Congressional mandate, but the agency would also truthfully inform tobacco consumers of these vitally important facts.
Otherwise, many smokers, smokeless tobacco users and others will continue to inaccurately believe that reducing some constituents in cigarettes (as occured with low tar, light and ultralight cigaretttes) reduces that health risks of cigarettes, and that smokeless tobacco products pose greater health risks than the epidemiological evidence consistently indicates.
