Light cigarettes - more dangerous than many think

Larissa Melville completed her traineeship in the editorial team of . After studying biology at Ludwig Maximilians University and the Technical University of Munich, she first got to know digital media online at Focus and then decided to learn medical journalism from scratch.

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Light blue, white or silver - with their design and names such as “Blue”, the manufacturers of the “Light” cigarettes suggest that this variant, with its special perforated and air-permeable filter, is less harmful to health than its counterpart, which contains nicotine. But far from it: there are no health benefits to be found. A certain form of lung cancer is apparently even favored: adenocarcinoma.

Lung Cancer: Falling and Rising Rates

Nowadays, adenocarcinoma is the most common type of lung cancer - the number of cases has been increasing for around 50 years. This is different with the other types of lung cancer. They decreased with the decreasing number of smokers. Peter Shields, deputy director of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center and his colleagues from various universities and cancer centers have now investigated why adenocarcinoma continues to increase. To this end, they analyzed the existing literature, chemistry and toxicology studies as well as clinical and epidemiological studies.

Ventilation holes as the cause

"Our data suggest a clear relationship between the ventilation holes in cigarettes and the increase in the number of pulmonary adenocarcinomas over the past 20 years," said Shields.

The researchers suspect that the higher rates of lung adenocarcinoma are due to the filter ventilation holes: The holes allow smokers to breathe more smoke, which also has higher levels of carcinogens, mutagens and other toxins. Because the filter ventilation holes change how the tobacco is burned. “More carcinogens are produced and the smoke gets into the deeper parts of the lungs. And that's where adenocarcinomas are more common, "explains Shields.

Nicotine and tar levels are deceiving

Furthermore, the apparently lower nicotine and tar levels simulate a supposedly healthier product. They arise when the test smoke machine pulls evenly on the filter with its small holes. A person, on the other hand, often closes part of the holes and pulls harder on the cigarette because it is "lighter". As a result, more nicotine and tar get into the lungs.

The legislature reacted years ago. He found that the designation "Light", "Leicht" or "Mild" misled consumers with regard to the hazardous contents and their dangers and in 2003 banned these additions to names in Europe.

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