I have no idea how people who work in the tobacco industry can look at themselves in the mirror each day. I do know that America should not export death to the rest of the world.
Marlboro cigarettes, the world's most popular brand, have considerably higher levels of a potent cancer-causing compound than almost all other cigarettes, a study has found. Research by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention found that the level of tobacco-specific nitrosamines, a known cause of cancer, was at least twice as high in Marlboros as in local brands in 10 of 13 nations tested. In some countries, the Marlboro level was as much as 22 times higher than local brands. The study, published yesterday in the Journal of Tobacco and Nicotine Research, is the first to document the significantly greater threat from nitrosamines posed by an American cigarette.Posted by Alan at May 30, 2003 06:13 PMThe popularity of Marlboros and their high levels of nitrosamines may be related, since it is the type of tobacco used and the way it is cured and mixed that creates both the distinct American cigarette taste and the higher nitrosamine levels.
The conclusion that Marlboros and most other American cigarettes are very high in nitrosamines comes at a time when US tobacco companies are looking increasingly to developing nations as their growth market, since cigarette consumption rates in the US and in other developed nations are steady or decreasing. The report said that while overall cigarette demand was growing about 1 per cent annually, demand for American-style blended cigarettes has been projected to grow 3 per cent per year - with many more cigarettes, and more disease, going to developing nations.