A lot of smokers prefer “light”, “mild”, or “low-tar” cigarettes as they feel these are less harmful than regular cigarettes. Smoke emanating from light cigarettes is lighter and smoother, so they must be less risky. Is this correct? NO. Light cigarettes do not lower the risks of smoking.
Scientific Evidence on Light Cigarettes
- The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has officially revealed that light cigarettes are not beneficial to health.
- An NCI report reveals that people who smoke light cigarettes inhale the same toxic chemicals as regular smokers. Therefore, they remain at the same risk of developing cancers and other smoking-related diseases.
- There is no scientific evidence that switching over to light cigarettes helps smokers to quit smoking.
Tobacco Companies Promote Light Cigarettes
- The tobacco industry experts know that users of light cigarettes take deeper puffs.
- Machines measure lowers yields of nicotine and tar in light cigarettes, than what the smoker really inhales. The tobacco industry is aware of this fact.
- The tobacco industry promotes light cigarettes to prevent smokers from quitting, by reassuring them that light and filtered cigarettes are safe alternatives to normal cigarettes.
Light Cigarettes Trick Smoking Machines
- Light cigarettes have filter vents that dilute cigarette smoke when they are measured by smoking machines. This leads to artificially low measurement of nicotine and tar levels.
- Smokers block these filter vents with their fingers, so the light cigarette turns into a normal cigarette when smoked by humans.
- Humans crave for nicotine, so they take deeper puffs for satisfaction. Thus, human smokers inhale more nicotine, tar and other toxic chemicals than suggested by machine-calculated numbers.
Bottom Line for Smokers
- Light cigarettes are equally harmful. Therefore, the only way to reduce the risk of contracting tobacco-linked diseases is to stop smoking as soon as possible.
- Smokers who stop smoking before age 50, reduce the risk of death by half over the ensuing 15 years, compared with those who continue to smoke.
- Quitting smoking reduces the risk of lung diseases, stroke and heart attacks.
