US3631865A

US3631865A - Smoking composition of reduced toxicity and method of making same

Info

Publication number: US3631865A
Application number: US20057A
Authority: US
Inventors: Irving Michelson
Original assignee: American Safety Equipment Corp
Current assignee: American Safety Equipment Corp
Priority date: 1970-03-16
Filing date: 1970-03-16
Publication date: 1972-01-04
Anticipated expiration: 1989-01-04
Also published as: DE2112270A1; GB1273944A; FR2084714A5; IT1040520B; CA933060A

Abstract

A smoking composition of reduced toxicity is disclosed, said composition being composed of tobacco wrapped in paper, said composition containing substantially equal molar amounts of ammonium ion and sulfamate ion, the total amount of ammonium ion and sulfamate ion in said composition being from 0.1 percent to 1.0 percent by weight, the tobacco of said composition containing at least 75 percent and preferably substantially all of the ammonium ion, and the paper of said composition containing at least 70 percent by weight of the sulfamate ion. A method for producing said composition involves adding ammonium sulfamate to the wrapper paper and, thereafter, placing the entire smoking composition composed of cured tobacco wrapped in said paper in a temperature and humidity zone having a relative humidity of between about 65 percent and 75 percent and a temperature of between 60* F. and 80* F. and allowing said tobacco composition to remain in said temperature and humidity zone for about 6 days and up to 14 days; thereby obtaining 75 percent or more migration of the ammonium ion of the ammonium sulfamate from the paper to the tobacco with at least 70 percent of the sulfamate ion of the ammonium sulfamate remaining in the paper. Preferably, the ammonium sulfamate is added to the paper in the form of a solution (e.g. an aqueous solution).

Description

Cancer, Vol. 10, 1956, pp. 498- 503 inc.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Irving Michelson New Rochelle, N.Y. [211 App]. No. 20,057 [22] Filed Mar. 16, 1970 Patented Jan. 4, 1972 [73] Assignee American Safety Equipment Corporation New York, N .Y. Continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 751,413 Al r Q Q PLPEQ 7, 1 7 v This application Mar. 16, 1970, Ser. No. 20,057

[54] SMOKING COMPOSITION OF REDUCED TOXICITY AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME 11 Claims, No Drawings [52] US. Cl 131/140, 131/9,131/15 [51] Int. (1 v A241 15/02, A24d 01/02 Field of Search 131/2, 9, 15,17,140-144 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,859,753 11/1958 Hitchcock et a1 131/15 OTHER REFERENCES Alford and Cardon: The Inhibition of Formation of 3,4- Benzpyrene in Cigarette Smoke, from the British Journal of Primary Examiner-Melvin D. Rein Attorney-Miketta, Glenny, Poms & Smith ABSTRACT: A smoking composition of reduced toxicity is disclosed, said composition being composed of tobacco wrapped in paper, said composition containing substantially equal molar amounts of ammonium ion and sulfamate ion, the total amount of ammonium ion and sulfamate ion in said composition being from 0.1 percent to 1.0 percent by weight, the tobacco of said composition containing at least 75 percent and preferably substantially all of the ammonium ion, and the paper of said composition containing at least percent by weight of the sulfamate ion. A method for producing said composition involves adding ammonium sulfamate to the wrapper paper and, thereafter, placing the entire smoking composition composed of cured tobacco wrapped in said paper in a temperature and humidity zone having a relative humidity of between about 65 percent and percent and a temperature of between 60 F. and F. and allowing said tobacco composition to remain in said temperature and humidity zone for about 6 days and up to 14 days; thereby obtaining 75 percent or more migration of the ammonium ion of the ammonium sulfamate from the paper to the tobacco with at least 70 percent of the sulfamate ion of the ammonium 1 sulfamate remaining in the paper. Preferably, the ammonium sulfamate is added to the paper in the form of a solution (e.g.

f an aqueous solution).

SMOKING COMPOSITION OF REDUCED TOXICITY AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, Ser. No. 75l,4l3, filed Aug. 9, 1968, now US. Pat. No. 3,517,672.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In recent years, the concern for the health of tobacco smokers, particularly cigarette smokers, has increased. The reason for this concern is because of the evidence gathered by scientists around the world that smoking definitely endangers the health of the smoker to a greater or lesser extent, depending upon the amount of the smoke, the extent to which it is inhaled, and the person's susceptibility to being injured by tobacco smoke. For example, it is definitely established that cigarette smokers are more apt to develop lung cancer, bronchitis, emphysema, and suffer other biological damage than nonsmokers. Figures from Smoking and Health, report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General, indicate that heavy smokers are to 25 times more susceptible to the risk of lung cancer than that of nonsmokers and that light smokers chances of developing lung cancer is five to 10 times that of nonsmokers. In addition, the mortality of smokers because of bronchitis and emphysema is five to eight times that of nonsmokers.

Because of the foregoing and other evidence that smoking is detrimental to the health and well being of people of all ages, the Federal government of the United States has required all cigarette manufacturers to place on cigarette packages the warning that "Cigarette Smoking May Be Hazardous to Your Health." In spite of this warning, the consumption of cigarettes and other tobacco has actually decreased very little from the prior years. It is thus very apparent that people who are addicted to cigarette smoking are very unlikely to quit merely because they run the risk of having their health seriously impaired.

lt is thus a desideratum in the art to produce a tobacco composition, the smoke of which has a reduced amount of components which are apt to cause biological damage to the smoker. It is therefore not surprising that in the past decade the prior art has endeavored to produce a safe tobacco, particularly safe cigarettes. For the most part, the prior art attempts have centered around the idea of filtering out or screening the tars produced during the smoking of the tobacco. However, this has not been entirely satisfactory because inter alia it appears that the materials produced in the smoking of the cigarette which cause biological damage cannot be filtered out selectively and therefore the filtered smoke still contains substantially the same proportions of deleterious material as the unfiltered smoke.

ln my previously filed copending application, Ser. No. 751,413, there is disclosed, inter alia, a method for producing smoking compositions, the smoke of which contains a significantly reduced amount of components which cause tumors on the skin of mice, have an adverse efi'ect on the pulmonary functions in test animals (guinea pigs) and destroy sebaceous glands in mice.

Moreover, in the previously filed application, Ser. No. 75 [,413, the smoke of the cigarettes produced by the method set forth in that application does not alter or afi'ect the taste of the tobacco smoke, the burning properties of the tobacco and paper or the appearance of the ash of said tobacco and paper.

The advantages obtained by the invention disclosed in the previously filed copending application are the result of adding ammonium sulfamate to tobacco compositions in a certain critical manner. In order to achieve the results, the ammonium sulfamate is applied to cigarette paper by contacting the paper with the ammonium sulfamate and allowing the paper to contact the tobacco until the ammonium ion has migrated into the tobacco leaving only the sulfamate ion on the paper. It was discovered that only after a significant amount, at least 50 percent but preferably from 70 to percent, e.g. 75 percent, of the ammonium ion had migrated into the tobacco that the smoke produced from such tobacco showed a reduction in components which cause tumors on mice and other biological damage.

In the previously filed application it is indicated that about 6 weeks is required for 75 percent of the ammonium ion to migrate into the tobacco. As is apparent from tests set forth in the previously filed application it is desirable that at least 50 percent and preferably 75 percent or more of the ammonium ion is in the tobacco prior to the cigarette being smoked. Having this much ammonium ion in the tobacco materially reduces the components in the smoke of such tobacco which cause tumors on mice and other biological damage.

In 1967 and 1968 it took about 6 weeks for a cigarette to get from the cigarette manufacturing company to the ultimate consumer. However, early in 1969 the cigarette distribution system began a change in inventory practice, with the goal of getting cigarettes to smokers more quickly because the many new brands of cigarettes were causing overcrowding in distributors warehouses. At the present time, it is the object of cigarette manufacturers to have the cigarettes reach the ultimate consumer in a shorter period of time, e. g. 2 weeks.

It is therefore a desideratum in the art to provide a method which will allow migration of the ammonium ion of ammonium sulfamate to the tobacco from paper wrapped around the tobacco in a very short time in order to insure that the ammonium ion has migrated into the tobacco prior to the smoking of the tobacco composition.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is based upon the surprising discovery that the ammonium ion of ammonium sulfamate added to cigarette paper can be transferred to tobacco which is wrapped in said cigarette paper in a very short period of time (at the very least faster than the time needed from the production of a cigarette until it passes into the hands of the ultimate consumer). It is necessary that the ammonium ion has migrated into the tobacco from the paper in order to have a smoking composition which has a materially reduced amount of components in the smoke thereof which cause tumors on the skin of mice and other biological damage but the smoke does not have any different taste than ordinary tobacco smoke or difierent burning properties.

The above advantages obtained by the method of this invention (as well as the composition resulting from such method) are the result of adding ammonium sulfamate to a smoking composition composed of tobacco wrapped in paper by contacting the paper (when the paper is either in contact with the tobacco or prior thereto) with ammonium sulfamate and preferably a solution of ammonium sulfamate (e.g. an aqueous solution). After the paper has been impregnated with ammonium sulfamate and alter the paper has been wrapped around cured tobacco the resulting tobacco composition is' placed in a temperature and humidity zone having a relative humidity of between 65 percent and 75 percent and a temperature of between 60 F. and 80 F. The tobacco composition is not removed from said temperature and humidity zone until at least 50 percent and preferably from 75 percent to percent of the ammonium ion has migrated from the paper to the tobacco. Depending upon the precise humidity and temperature conditions the time will vary from say 3 days to 2 weeks.

Accordingly, the principal object of the present invention is to disclose and provide a method for making a smoking composition composed of tobacco wrapped in paper in a very short time, e.g. in 3 to 21 days, the smoke of said composition having a significantly reduced amount of components which cause tumors on the skin of mice and destroy sebaceous glands on the skin of mice.

Another object of the present invention is to disclose and embody a method for treating a cigarette with ammonium sulfamate under controlled conditions such that 50 percent of the ammonium ion of the ammonium sulfamate migrates from the cigarette paper to the tobacco in as little as, e.g. 3 days.

' It is still a further object of the invention to rapidly produce what is considered to be a less toxic cigarette (since the smoke components which induce mice tumors are reduced) wherein the tobacco of said cigarette contains a significant amount of ammonium ion which is derived from ammonium sulfamate which has been applied to the paper of said cigarette and allowed to stand under controlled temperature and humidity conditions.

Still another object of the invention is to disclose and provide a cigarette made of cured tobacco wrapped in paper, said cigarette containing substantially equal molar amounts of ammonium ion and sulfamate ion, the total amount of ammonium ion and sulfamate ion in said cigarette being from 0.1 percent to 1.0 percent by weight, the tobacco of said cigarette containing at least 75 percent and preferably substantially all of the ammonium ion and the paper of said cigarette containing at least 70 percent by weight and preferably substantially all of the sulfamate ion.

Still another and further object is to provide a novel method for producing novel smoking compositions and cigarettes by applying an aqueous solution of ammonium sulfamate to the paper of such smoking compositions and cigarettes by contacting the paper with a solution containing ammonium sulfamate (either while the paper is wrapped around the tobacco or, preferably, prior thereto) and placing the thus obtained smoking compositions or cigarettes in a temperature and humidity zone having a relative humidity of between 65 percent and 75 percent and a temperature of between about 60 F. and 80 F. and allowing said tobacco compositions or cigarettes to remain in said temperature and humidity zone until at least 75 percent of the ammonium ion of the ammonium sulfamate has migrated from the paper to the tobacco.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The smoking compositions of this invention are produced by adding a certain amount of ammonium sulfamate to the paper of said compositions in a certain manner and allowing the ammonium ion to migrate from the paper to the tobacco while the smoking compositions are subjected to certain temperature and humidity limitations.

1 have discovered that two things are critical in producing a less toxic composition; the amount of ammonium sulfamate added to the smoking composition and the amount of ammonium ion which migrates from the paper of the smoking composition to the tobacco of the composition.

Generally speaking, the amount of ammonium sulfamate added to the smoking composition, based on the weight of the entire smoking composition, is from 0.1 percent to 1.0 percent by weight and the preferred range of ammonium sulfamate is 0.2 percent to 0.8 percent.

In addition to having the ranges of ammonium sulfamate in the smoking compositions set forth above it is also necessary to have a certain percentage of the ammonium ion of the ammonium sulfamate migrate to the tobacco. In order to produce a less toxic smoking composition it appears that at least 50 percent of the ammonium ion should be in the tobacco and, for best results, at least 75 percent of the ammonium ion should be in the tobacco. It is most desirable that substantially all of the ammonium ion be in the tobacco and substantially all of the sulfamate ion (at least about 70 percent) be in the paper.

In order to obtain a composition having 50 percent of the ammonium ion in the tobacco in 3 days and 75 percent in 6 to 7 days, it is necessary, after the cigarette paper has been wrapped around the tobacco, to place the resulting smoking composition or cigarette in a temperature and humidity zone having a temperature of between 60 F. and 80 F. and a humidity of between about 65 percent and 75 percent. If the temperature and/or humidity are higher than this, the ammonium ion will escape from the smoking composition to the.

outside atmosphere; apparently the ammonium sulfamate volatilizes and escapes to the surrounding air thereby preventing migration of 75 percent of the ammonium ion from the paper into the tobacco. Ifthe temperature and/or humidity are lower than the ranges set forth above, the migration of the ammonium ion from the paper into the tobacco is slowed considerably. For example, when a cigarette containing about 0.5 percent of ammonium sulfamate (based on the entire weight of the cigarette) is placed in a zone having 60 percent relative humidity and a temperature of 70 F., percent migration is not achieved until after about 42 days. In contrast thereto, when a cigarette made in exactly the same manner is placed into a zone having a relative humidity of about 70 percent and a temperature of about 70 F., 90 percent migration occurs in about 14 days with over 75 percent migration of the ammonium ion occurring in about 6 days. Over 50 percent migration occurs in 3 to 4 days.

Surprisingly, it apparently makes no difference in migration time if the cigarettes are in packages or whether they are loose. The same results occur in either case.

Ammonium sulfamate can be added to the cigarette paper in any convenient manner; however, it is preferred to add the ammonium sulfamate to the cigarette paper when the ammonium sulfamate is dissolved in an aqueous solution. This is because water does not affect the color of the cigarette paper.

If desired, and if not too many cigarettes are required (for example, 2,000,000 or less), the ammonium sulfamate can be added by passing the cigarettes through a cylinder of suitable size and diameter which is filled with an absorbent material such as a sponge, the cylinder having an aperture or bore which forms a passage completely through the cylinder as well as the spongelike material through which the tobacco composition may be inserted without rupturing or tearing the paper. As the tobacco composition is passed through the cylinder, the paper thereon absorbs the ammonium sulfamate solution contained in the spongelike material. If conventional cigarettes are utilized, a passageway or bore in the cylinder and absorbent material will have a diameter on the order of eleven thirty-seconds of an inch. The speed at which the cigarette is passed through the bore or aperture depends upon the particular concentration which is desired on the cigarette paper and also the concentration of the solution in the sorbent material. The cigarette can either be pushed manually through the device or in the alternative, can be pushed mechanically through the device at a predetermined speed as shown, e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 239,780. No matter how the ammonium sulfamate is applied to the cigarette paper, the paper should not be adversely affected.

If the ammonium sulfamate is added in the manner indicated above some of the sulfamate ion will get into the tobacco via this route because the tobacco absorbs a certain amount of the solution. Depending upon the specific conditions, anywhere from 10 percent to 15 percent or as much as 30 percent of the sulfamate ion will be found in the tobacco when the ammonium sulfamate solution is added by passing the cigarette through a hole in a sponge containing a solution of ammonium sulfamate.

In contrast thereto, when the ammonium sulfamate solution is added to the paper per se (i.e., before the paper is wrapped around the tobacco), and the paper is allowed to dry and then wrapped around the tobacco, none of the sulfamate ion of the ammonium sulfamate migrates to the tobacco but the ammonium ion migrates at about the same rate as if the solution had been added to the paper when the paper was wrapped around the tobacco.

Regardless of the manner in which the ammonium sulfamate is added to the paper, the smoking properties of the resulting composition, i.e., paper wrapped around tobacco, is not affected adversely, and, the smoke produced from such a composition is less toxic than smoke produced from a corresponding untreated cigarette.

When adding the ammonium sulfamate to the paper prior to the paper being wrapped around the tobacco, it can be done in the same way, and at the same time, indeed in the same aqueous medium, as other soluble components are added to cigarette paper for controlling burning characteristics and color of the ash of cigarette paper.

To produce a cigarette containing between about 0.3 percent and 0.5 percent, by weight, of ammonium sulfamate, a water solution containing between 5 percent and 25 percent, by weight, (depending on the proportion of solution retained by the paper after passing through pressure rollers) of ammonium sulfamate is prepared by dissolving the ammonium sulfamate in the requisite amount of water. Thereafter, a strip of commercial cigarette paper is passed through the aqueous solution (which may also contain other normal cigarette paper additives) and the excess solution is squeezed out by pressure rollers. After the paper is dried, king size cigarettes (about 85 mm.) are made from the cigarette paper, the cigarettes containing approximately 4 to 6 milligrams of ammonium sulfamate per cigarette. Since the cigarettes weigh about 1.2 grams, this amounts to between about 0.3 to 0.5 percent of ammonium sulfamate per cigarette.

Cigarettes made in such a manner were placed in a sealed chamber maintained at a relative humidity of about 70 percent and a temperature of about 70 F. Prior to placing the cigarette in the chamber, 100 percent of the ammonium ion and sulfamate ion was in the cigarette paper and no ammonium ion or sulfamate ion in the tobacco. The cigarettes remained in the chamber for 4 days and, at the end of 4 days, some of the cigarettes were removed and tested for ammonium and sulfamate ion. It was found that at the end of 4 days, 58 percent of the ammonium ion of the ammonium sulfamate had migrated to the tobacco. About 100 percent of the sulfamate ion still remained in the cigarette paper. At the end of 7 days, another group of cigarettes were removed and tested for ammonium and sulfamate ion. It was found that about 78 percent of the ammonium ion was in the tobacco with only 18 percent of the ammonium ion being in the paper. Again, about 100 percent of the sulfamate ion remained on the paper. At the end of 2 weeks (14 days) it was found that about 90 per cent of the ammonium ion had migrated to the tobacco and at the end of three weeks substantially all (91 percent) of the ammonium ion had migrated to the tobacco. At the end of 21 days, substantially all of the sulfamate ion was found in the paper. Up to about l percent of the ammonium ion was lost to the atmosphere.

Cigarettes made in the same manner were placed in a sealed chamber maintained at a relative humidity of 60 percent and a temperature of 70 F. Prior to placing the cigarettes in the chamber, it was found that the paper of the cigarettes had approximately 100 percent of the ammonium ion and sulfamate ion. There was no ammonium or sulfamate ion in the tobacco. At the end of 3 days, it was found that 21 percent of the ammonium ion had migrated to the tobacco and at the end of 9 days it was found that only 34 percent of the ammonium ion had migrated to the tobacco. Only at the end of 14 days was 50 percent of the ammonium ion in the tobacco. At the end of about weeks, it was found that only about 80 percent of the ammonium ion had migrated to the tobacco, substantially all of the sulfamate ion remaining in the paper.

Based on tests conducted as indicated above and with cigarettes made as indicated above, I have found that when the relative humidity is 80 percent or higher, the migration of ammonium ion is speeded up further but ammonium ion is lost to the atmosphere at such a rate that it is impossible to obtain 75 percent of the ammonium ion in the tobacco. Similarly, when the temperature is raised too high, ammonium ion is lost to the atmosphere although the criticality of the temperature is not as important as the relative humidity. Tests have shown that when the temperature rises to about 80 F., the amount of ammonium ion lost to the atmosphere is too great to get 75 percent of the ammonium into the tobacco. When the temperature is too low, the migration of the ammonium ion is delayed. Based upon present test, the minimum temperature in which adequate migration can be achieved within say, 14 days is 60 F But it is preferred if the temperature is about 70 F.

Biological tests have shown that the smoke of a cigarette treated with ammonium sulfamate in which at least 50 percent of the ammonium ion has not had time to migrate to the tobacco will not reduce, to any great extent, biological damage to mice and other test animals as compared with a normal cigarette. in contrast thereto, when over 50 percent of the ammonium ion has migrated to the tobacco (preferably 75 percent) biological tests have shown that the reduction of tumors in mice caused by such smoke is considerably greater when compared with correspondingly untreated cigarettes or with cigarettes treated with ammonium sulfamate in which the ammonium ion of the ammonium sulfamate is still primarily on the paper.

Cigarettes containing 4 to 6 milligrams per cigarette (the cigarettes weigh about 1.2 grams) were made as indicated above. Two separate groups, one group containing about 75 percent of the ammonium ion in the tobacco and the other group containing less than 50 percent of the ammonium ion in the tobacco, were prepared.

A third group of cigarettes were also made which were identical to the cigarettes above except that they had not been treated with ammonium sulfamate. All of the cigarettes, i.e. all the cigarettes of each group, were smoked in a manifold-type smoking machine, one 2-second puff per minute, with the suction pressure equal to that which delivers a 17.5 ml./sec. in sample cigarettes of the respective groups. The smoke was condensed in 2-liter collection flasks and immersed in a dry ice-methanol mixture. The condensate was removed from the flask with acetone. The acetone suspension was concentrated in a flash evaporator until all the acetone was driven off. The remaining crude tar" was treated with an equal volume of acetone and then eight volumes of heptane were added slowly with vigorous shaking to provide a two phase system. The upper phase was concentrated in a flash evaporator until all the heptane was apparently driven ofi. It has been shown that this fraction of the tars contained all of the carcinogenic activity that is found in crude cigarette tar.

The tars were then applied to female ICR Swiss mice which were 60 to 70 days old. The mice were divided into three groups, in each group, and the mice in each group were shaved and painted 2 times daily, 5 days a week, for approximately one year with a solution of tar. About once a month the tar was replaced by a fresh batch which was obtained in ex actly the same manner as the original tar.

At the end of one year, the mice which had been painted with the tars produced from the untreated or control cigarettes had the same number of tumors as the mice painted with tars produced from cigarettes containing ammonium sulfamate in which less than 50 percent of the ammonium ion had migrated to the tobacco. In contrast thereto, the mice painted with tars produced from the cigarettes which had ammonium sulfamate added thereto and in which over 75 percent of the ammonium ion had migrated to the tobacco had a 45 percent reduction of tumors as compared with the two other groups.

Moreover, when the above cigarettes were tested on mice for sebaceous gland suppression activity, it was found that mice painted with tars produced from cigarettes of this invention (75 percent of the ammonium ion is in the tobacco) had 65 percent of the glands remaining whereas mice painted with tars from the untreated cigarettes and the cigarettes which had less than 50 percent of the ammonium ion in the tobacco had approximately only 40 percent of the glands remaining.

It will be understood that the foregoing description of the present invention is only illustrative and it is not intended that the invention be limited thereto. Many other specific embodiments of the present invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art and any substitutions, alterations and modifications of the invention which come within the scope of the following claims or to which the invention is readily susceptible without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure are considered a part of the present invention.

1 claim:

1. A method for rapidly producing smoking composition of 5 reduced toxicity of cured tobacco wrapped in paper, which comprises adding from about 0.1 percent to 1.0 percent by weight, based on the combined weight of the paper and tobacco, of ammonium sulfamate to said paper and placing the tobacco and the wrapped paper containing said ammonium sulfamate in a temperature and humidity zone having a relative humidity of between about 65 percent and 75 percent and a temperature of between about 60 F. and 80 F. and removing the resulting tobacco composition after at least about 3 days and when 50 percent of ammonium ion of the ammonium sulfamate has migrated from the paper to the tobacco.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the tobacco composition is removed when 75 percent of ammonium ion has migrated to the tobacco.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the ammonium sulfamate is added to the paper by contacting said paper with solution containing ammonium sulfamate.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the solution containing ammonium sulfamate is an aqueous solution.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the amount of ammonium sulfamate in said aqueous solution is between about 5 percent and 50 percent, by weight. I

6. A method according to claim 3 wherein the ammonium sulfamate is added to said paper prior to the paper being wrapped around the tobacco.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein the solution containing ammonium sulfamate is an aqueous solution.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the tobacco wrapped in paper is allowed to remain in the humidity and temperature zone from 3 to 21 days.

9. A method according to claim 2 wherein the tobacco wrapped in paper is allowed to remain in the humidity and temperature zone from 7 to 21 days.

10. A method according to claim 2 wherein the amount of ammonium sulfamate added to the paper is from 0.2 percent to 0.8 percent, by weight, based on the combined weight of the paper and tobacco.

11. A smoking product made by the method of claim 1.

Claims

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the tobacco composition is removed when 75 percent of ammonium ion has migrated to the tobacco.
3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the ammonium sulfamate is added to the paper by contacting said paper with solution containing ammonium sulfamate.
4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the solution containing ammonium sulfamate is an aqueous solution.
5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the amount of ammonium sulfamate in said aqueous solution is between about 5 percent and 50 percent, by weight.
6. A method according to claim 3 wherein the ammonium sulfamate is added to said paper prior to the paper being wrapped around the tobacco.
7. A method according to claim 6 wherein the solution containing ammonium sulfamate is an aqueous solution.
8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the tobacco wrapped in paper is allowed to remain in the humidity and temperature zone from 3 to 21 days.
9. A method according to claim 2 wherein the tobacco wrapped in paper is allowed to remain in the humidity and temperature zone from 7 to 21 days.
10. A method according to claim 2 wherein the amount of ammonium sulfamate added to the paper is from 0.2 percent to 0.8 percent, by weight, based on the combined weight of the paper and tobacco.
11. A smoking product made by the method of claim 1.