Discussion of burn additives

Burn additives

This 6 page Brown & Williamson report contains a brief history of burn additives added to cigarette paper, and their purpose. It states that burn additives were not used in cigarettes before World War II. States, "Legend has it that the use of burn additives was discovered by workers who rolled their own cigarettes. They noticed that the cigarettes which had come into contact with perspiration on their fingers had a better ash appearance."

Burn additives are added to cigarettes to influence ash appearance, combustibility, smoke delivery and taste. Burn additives consist of burn accelerators and ash conditioners. Burn accelerating chemicals added to cigarette paper include
 * sodium and potassium citrate
 * sodium acetate
 * sodium phosphate
 * sodium and potassium tartrate
 * sodium nitrate

Monomonium phosphate is added as an ash conditioner but, according to the report, "significantly increases the level of carbon monoxide per puff." White ash that sticks together appears to be the preferred result of using this additive.

The addition of burn accelerators can result in a decreased puff count from a cigarette.

Title: Burn Additives Type  Report Bates 597007130/7133 Collection Brown & Williamson Pages 6 URL: http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/zwy90c00

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