NAC Plate (ca. 1990)

NAC Plate (ca. 1990)

The NAC Plate was produced by Koei Bussan Co., Ltd. of Japan. In 1983 they contacted the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking permission to market the plate in the U.S. The NRC indicated that the uranium concentration (ca. 1.1 pCi U-238/g) was low enough to be exempt from their regulations, and the FDA stated that such an item would not fall under their jurisdiction unless medical claims were made for the plate. Given the response of these federal agencies, it would seem that there was no legal barrier to selling the NAC plate in the U.S. Nevertheless, to my knowledge this was never done.

NAC Plate (ca. 1990)

The NAC plate, just like the NICO Clean, is a metal plate, about the size of a credit card, with a low-grade uranium ore on one side. When slipped into a package of cigarettes, "ions emitted from natural ore denature and reduce nicotine, tar, and harmful gas without affecting the original tobacco taste." At least that's what the manufacturer claimed. And they have a patent to back it up:  according to a U.S. Patent (#3,589,374), nicotine in the cigarettes will be reduced by 27% following a four hour exposure to a card with an activity of 150 cpm (counts per minute) cm2. The patent also describes how the cigarette may even taste milder after treatment if one has a "sensitive tongue."

NAC Plate (ca. 1990)

Size: 2" x 3"

Donated by Joe Thiessen.

References

  • Boenig, H., et al. Method of Reducing Irritants in Tobacco by Gamma irradiation. U.S. Patent No. 3,358,694. December 19, 1967.
  • Aoki, T., Nishida, N. Method of and Container for Treating Tobacco to Reduce Alkaloid and Tar Content Thereof. U.S. Patent No. 3,589,374. June 29, 1971.
  • Letter to S. Nakamura of the Koei Bussan Co., from K. Berthold of the FDA's National Center for Devices and Radiological Health. October 11, 1983.
  • Letter to S. Nakamura of the Koei Bussan Co., from J. Lafleur of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Office of International Programs. August 22, 1983.
  • Laboratory Analysis. Radiation Center of Osaka Prefecture. April, 1983.