Abstract

Sheet material especially useful in forming wrappers for smokeable articles such as cigarettes that results in reduced sidestream smoke. The sheet is formed by incorporating as a filler in a cellulosic web an amount of high (at least about 20 M2 /g) superficial surface area filler in the range generally of about 5 to 50 percent by weight in the finished sheet resulting in a web superficial surface area of at least about 80 M2 per square meter of web. The cellulosic material may be flax fiber or other natural cellulosic fibers conventionally used for such wrappers. Additional fillers may be used up to a total of about 50 percent, and burn modifier salts included. 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 sheet can be formed by any conventional papermaking method. When such papers are used as cigarette wrappers, they effect a reduction of the total particulate matter in sidestream smoke of up to about 70 percent without serious deterioration of other desirable properties. In addition the sheet of the invention provides normal ash appearance in a smoking article.