Senate Democrats are holding a hearing on the marketing of so-called 'light' cigarettes, which critics say leave the false impression that they are less hazardous than other cigarettes, the Associated Press reported Nov. 12.

The Senate Commerce Committee has released a 1975 document from Philip Morris USA showing that the company knew for decades that smokers of light cigarettes inhaled more deeply, thus ingesting more 'tar' and 'nicotine.' Democratic leaders on the committee said that the current rating system that allows cigarettes to be marketed as 'light' or 'ultralight' thus creates a false sense of safety among smokers.

"In a lot of ways switching to light cigarettes can be more deadly," said Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), who has sponsored legislation that would ban the use of terms like 'light' and 'low-tar' to sell cigarettes.

The ratings are determined by the Federal Trade Commission, which uses a machine to rate cigarettes; the machine 'smokes' each cigarette in the same manner.

Philip Morris now says that light cigarettes are no safer than other cigarettes, but critics maintain that smokers are still left with the impression that such products represent reduced risk.