‘Light Cigarette’ Claims Full Of Holes Tiny Air Holes In Filters Give Testers False Reading On Toxins
More than half of Massachusetts smokers have no idea that many cigarettes have rings of tiny air holes around the filters, diluting the smoke that reaches testing machines and allowing tobacco companies to understate how much tar and nicotine are delivered to smokers, according to a poll released last week.
And among smokers whose brands have the ventilated filters - which include virtually all “light” and “ultra-light” brands as well as market leaders Marlboro Reds, Winston and filtered Camels - nearly 7 out of 8 had no idea their brand had the holes, according to a survey of 266 smokers by Lynn Kozlowski of Penn State University.
When cigarettes are put into testing machines, the nearly invisible holes - about a half inch from the end of the filter - are exposed, diluting the smoke and lowering reported tar and nicotine. But in practice, Kozlowski said, most smokers cover the holes with their lips or fingers, increasing their consumption of potent, damaging smoke.
Citing the poll, antismoking crusaders said health officials need to educate smokers who have chosen light and ultra-light brands that they are probably ingesting far more tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide than they think.
Based on advertising suggesting they are less unhealthy, light and ultra-light brands have soared in popularity, capturing more than half the market.
Kozlowski’s survey found 67 percent of people smoking those brands said they were seeking reduced tar, and 46 percent said they wanted to reduce the risks of smoking.
Kozlowski presented the survey at Friday’s Public Health Commission hearings on proposed regulations requiring tobacco companies to disclose cigarette ingredients.
It followed Thursday’s release of DPH-commissioned tests showing that, tested with realistic models of how people smoke, brands like Marlboro Lights and Merit Ultra Lights contain three times as much tar and nicotine as federal machine-smoking tests report.
“The invisible ventilation problem is something that consumers should be annoyed about,” Kozlowski said. People choosing light brands are being sold a false assurance the brands are less unhealthy, he said.
Cigarette manufacturers have boycotted the hearings. They have sued in federal court to invalidate the ingredient-disclosure regulations, which are scheduled to take effect July 1, charging they are an unconstitutional seizure of lucrative trade secrets.
The disclosure regulations would also cover smokeless tobacco, an increasingly popular alternative to cigarettes among young men and boys that can cause oral cancer.
Matthew Myers of the National Center for Tobacco-Free Kids, called the regulations a model for the country.
Comparing the tobacco industry to Coca-Cola, which zealously protects its secret recipe, he said the trade-secret analogy for cigarettes is bogus because “last year, to the best of our knowledge, 420,000 Americans didn’t die from drinking Coca-Cola.” Cigarettes contain numerous ingredients that may seem safe but become harmful when burned and inhaled, Myers and several doctors testified.