Safety Is Relative

I don't buy British American Tobacco's claim that they've produced a "safe" cigarette that cuts the risk of heart disease and cancer by 90%. According to this article, they've produced a cigarette using treated tobacco and a new filter designed to cut toxins emitted from the cigarette and, thus, going into the user.

I don't buy it, at least not fully. Reasons:

• First off, are these claims independently verified, not only the output of the cigarette but its effects on people? Clearly there's a market for feeling like there's a "safer" alternative, but is it true, or is it just a claim by the manufacturer?
• The smoke coming off the end of the cigarette is not filtered. Bystanders, as well as the smoker, inhales that end-smoke.
• Nicotine doesn't appear to be one of the toxins filtered out. That makes sense; why remove the addictive element from the drug? That said, nicotine isn't a great thing to be ingesting. For example, it can increase your LDL ("bad") cholesterol, and constricts your blood vessels which can lead to hypertension.