The nation's largest cigarette maker is disputing a study by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health that found nicotine in cigarettes has risen about 10 percent in the past six years.

Philip Morris USA, which manufactures Marlboro cigarettes, said when it reviewed nine years of data they have provided to Massachusetts about their cigarettes, they found fluctuations up and down in nicotine levels, but not a steady increase.

"There are variations in the nicotine yield for different Marlboro packings, both up and down from year-to-year, but there is no general trend up or down," the company said in a written response.

The health department study released last month examined nicotine levels in more than 100 brands over a six-year period. The study showed a steady climb in the amount of nicotine delivered to the lungs of smokers regardless of brand, with overall nicotine yields increasing by about 10 percent, according to state health officials.
Business Ticker - The Boston Globe

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Facts are stupid things.---Ronald Reagan