Method and smoking article wrapper for reducing sidestream smoke

Sheet material especially useful in forming wrappers for smokable articles such as cigarettes that results in reduced sidestream smoke. The sheet is formed by applying to a cellulosic web an amount of an alkali metal salt greatly in excess of the amounts of such materials previously used as burn enhancers. The cellulosic material may be flax fiber or other natural cellulosic fibers conventionally used for such wrappers. Examples of salts include the sodium or potassium salts of acids such as carbonic, formic, acetic, propionic, malic, lactic, glycolic, citric, tartaric, fumaric, oxalic, malonic, succinic, nitric, and phosphoric. The composition can be applied by any conventional method such as coating, dipping, impregnating, printing, and the like. For example, at least about 6% by weight of potassium citrate is needed to obtain the benefits of the invention, and preferably an amount in the range of from about 12% to about 16% by weight. When such papers are used as cigarette wrappers, they effect a reduction of the total particulate matter in sidestream smoke of up to about 50% without serious deterioration of other desirable properties.