State lab tests found that the non-burning Eclipse cigarette had 734 percent more acetaldehyde and 475 percent more acrolein -- two cancer-causing agents -- than R.J. Reynolds' own low-tar Now King Size Hard Pack ultralights.

The tobacco maker claims that the Eclipse cigarette is ''the next best choice'' to quitting, and is up to 87 percent less carcinogenic than ultralights. "This is truly astonishing," said Dr. Howard Koh, commissioner of the Department of Public Health. "There is no such thing as a safe cigarette. It is an oxymoron. These health claims by R.J. Reynolds are so blatantly false."

R.J. Reynolds disputed the state's findings, calling the tests invalid because they involved "a limited set of data." The company said it conducted a broader testing to support its claim that Eclipse poses fewer health risks than other cigarettes.

Koh plans to ask the state attorney general to investigate whether R.J. Reynolds is violating the 1998 nationwide tobacco settlement agreement, which prohibits cigarette makers from misrepresenting the health consequences of their product.

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