BRAND MANUFACTURER 305’S DOSAL TOBACCO CORPORATION 1839 U.S. FLUE CURED TOBACCO GROWERS, INC. 1839 (RYO) U.S. FLUE CURED TOBACCO GROWERS, INC. ACE KING MAKER MARKETING, INC. ALPINE PHILIP MORRIS USA INC AMERICAN BISON (RYO) WIND RIVER TOBACCO COMPANY AMSTERDAM SHAG (RYO) PETER STOKKEBYE TOBAKSFABRIK A/S AURA CHEYENNE INTERNATIONAL, LLC Back to top of page BRAND MANUFACTURER BALI SHAG (RYO) COMMONWEALTH BRANDS, INC. BARON AMERICAN BLEND
FARMERS TOBACCO CO. OF CYNTHIANA, INC. BASIC PHILIP MORRIS USA INC BENSON & HEDGES PHILIP MORRIS USA INC BLACK & GOLD SHERMAN’S 1400 BROADWAY NYC, LTD. BO BROWNING (RYO) TOP TOBACCO, L.P. BRISTOL PHILIP MORRIS USA INC BRONSON LIGGETT GROUP INC. BUGLER (RYO) SCANDINAVIAN TOBACCO GROUP LANE LTD. Back to top of page BRAND MANUFACTURER CAMBRIDGE PHILIP MORRIS USA INC CAMEL RJREYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY CAMEL WIDES RJREYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY CANOE (RYO) WIND RIVER TOBACCO COMPANY CAPRI RJREYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY CARLTON RJREYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY CARNIVAL KOREA TOBACCO & GINSENG (KT&G) CHECKERS KING MAKER MARKETING, INC. CHESTERFIELD PHILIP MORRIS USA INC CHEYENNE CHEYENNE INTERNATIONAL, LLC CHEYENNE (RYO) CHEYENNE INTERNATIONAL, LLC CIGARETTELLOS SHERMAN’S 1400 BROADWAY NYC, LTD. CLASSIC SHERMAN’S 1400 BROADWAY NYC, LTD. CLASSIC CANADIAN (RYO) TOP TOBACCO, L.P. COMMANDER PHILIP MORRIS USA INC COMPETIDORA DOSAL TOBACCO CORPORATION CROWNS COMMONWEALTH BRANDS, INC. CUSTOM BLENDS (RYO) WIND RIVER TOBACCO CO. Back to top of page BRAND MANUFACTURER DTC DOSAL TOBACCO CORPORATION DANISH EXPORT (RYO) PETER STOKKEBYE TOBAKSFABRIK A/S DAVIDOFF COMMONWEALTH BRANDS INC DECADE CHEYENNE INTERNATIONAL, LLC DORAL RJREYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY DRUM (RYO) TOP TOBACCO, L.P. DUNHILL RJREYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY DUNHILL INTERNATIONAL RJREYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY Back to top of page BRAND MANUFACTURER EAGLE 20’S VECTOR TOBACCO INC. ECHO XCALIBER INTERNATIONAL LIMITED ECHO (RYO) XCALIBER INTERNATIONAL LIMITED ECLIPSE RJREYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY EDGEFIELD XCALIBER INTERNATIONAL LIMITED ENGLISH OVALS PHILIP MORRIS USA INC EVE LIGGETT GROUP INC. EXPORT A JAPAN TOBACCO INTERNATIONAL U.S.A. (JTI) Back to top of page BRAND MANUFACTURER FANTASIA SHERMAN’S 1400 BROADWAY NYC, LTD. FIRST CLASS U.S. FLUE CURED TOBACCO GROWERS, INC. FORTUNA COMMONWEALTH BRANDS, INC. Back to top of page BRAND MANUFACTURER GAMBLER (RYO) TOP TOBACCO, L.P. GAULOISES COMMONWEALTH BRANDS, INC. GITANES COMMONWEALTH BRANDS, INC. GOLD CREST KING MAKER MARKETING, INC. GOLDEN VIRGINIA (RYO) SCANDINAVIAN TOBACCO GROUP LANE LTD. GPC RJREYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY GRAND PRIX LIGGETT GROUP INC. Back to top of page BRAND MANUFACTURER HAVANA OVALS SHERMAN’S 1400 BROADWAY NYC, LTD. HINT MENTHOL SHERMAN’S 1400 BROADWAY NYC, LTD. HI VAL KING MAKER MARKETING, INC. Back to top of page BRAND MANUFACTURER JESTER (RYO) SCANDINAVIAN TOBACCO GROUP LANE LTD. Back to top of page BRAND MANUFACTURER KAMEL RED RJREYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY KENT LORILLARD TOBACCO COMPANY KENTUCKY’S BEST
FARMERS TOBACCO CO. OF CYNTHIANA KENTUCKY’S BEST (RYO) FARMERS TOBACCO CO. OF CYNTHIANA KENTUCKY SELECT (RYO) U.S. FLUE CURED TOBACCO GROWERS, INC. KITE (RYO) SCANDINAVIAN TOBACCO GROUP LANE LTD. KOOL RJREYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY Back to top of page BRAND MANUFACTURER L & M PHILIP MORRIS USA INC LAGUNAS P.T. DJARUM LARK PHILIP MORRIS USA INC LIGGETT SELECT LIGGETT GROUP INC. LONDON EXPORT (RYO) PETER STOKKEBYE TOBAKSFABRIK A/S LUCKY STRIKE RJREYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY Back to top of page BRAND MANUFACTURER MCD SHERMAN’S 1400 BROADWAY NYC, LTD. MALIBU COMMONWEALTH BRANDS, INC MARLBORO PHILIP MORRIS USA INC MAVERICK LORILLARD TOBACCO COMPANY MCCLINTOCK (RYO) COMMONWEALTH BRANDS, INC. MERIT PHILIP MORRIS USA INC MIDNIGHT SPECIAL (RYO) SCANDINAVIAN TOBACCO GROUP LANE LTD. MISTY RJREYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY MONARCH RJREYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY MONTCLAIR COMMONWEALTH BRANDS, INC MORE 120 RJREYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY Back to top of page BRAND MANUFACTURER NASHVILLE (RYO) WIND RIVER TOBACCO COMPANY NATURAL SHERMAN’S 1400 BROADWAY NYC, LTD. NATURAL AMERICAN SPIRIT SANTA FE NATURAL TOBACCO COMPANY, INC. NATURAL AMERICAN SPIRIT (RYO) SANTA FE NATURAL TOBACCO COMPANY, INC. NEWPORT LORILLARD TOBACCO COMPANY NEW YORK CUT NAT SHERMAN, INC NORWEGIAN SHAG (RYO) PETER STOKKEBYE TOBAKSFABRIK A/S NOW RJREYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY Back to top of page BRAND MANUFACTURER OLD GOLD LORILLARD TOBACCO COMPANY OUR ADVERTISER (RYO) TOP TOBACCO, L.P. Back to top of page BRAND MANUFACTURER PALERMO TABACALERA DEL ESTE, S.A. (TABESA) PALL MALL RJREYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY PARLIAMENT PHILIP MORRIS USA INC PLAYERS PHILIP MORRIS USA INC PREMIER (RYO) COMMONWEALTH BRANDS, INC. PYRAMID LIGGETT GROUP INC. Back to top of page BRAND MANUFACTURER RYO FINE CUT (RYO) SCANDINAVIAN TOBACCO GROUP LANE LTD. RAVE LIGNUM 2 RAVE (RYO) LIGNUM 2 RAVEN COMMONWEALTH BRANDS, INC. RIVIERA COMMONWEALTH BRANDS, INC. ROLL RICH (RYO) SCANDINAVIAN TOBACCO GROUP LANE LTD. Back to top of page BRAND MANUFACTURER SALEM RJREYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY SAMSON (RYO) SCANDINAVIAN TOBACCO GROUP LANE LTD. SARATOGA PHILIP MORRIS USA INC SHIELD U.S. FLUE CURED TOBACCO GROWERS, INC. SMOKER FRIENDLY COMMONWEALTH BRANDS, INC SMOKIN JOES SMOKIN JOES SMOKIN JOES (RYO) SMOKIN JOES SMOKIN JOES NATURAL SMOKIN JOES SONOMA COMMONWEALTH BRANDS, INC STATE EXPRESS 555 RJREYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY STOCKHOLM BLEND (RYO) PETER STOKKEBYE TOBAKSFABRIK A/S Back to top of page BRAND MANUFACTURER TAREYTON RJREYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY TETON (RYO) WIND RIVER TOBACCO COMPANY TIMELESS TIME KOREA TOBACCO & GINSENG (KT&G) TOP (RYO) TOP TOBACCO, L.P. TRAFFIC U.S. FLUE CURED TOBACCO GROWERS, INC. TRUE LORILLARD TOBACCO COMPANY TURKISH EXPORT (RYO) PETER STOKKEBYE TOBAKSFABRIK A/S TUSCANY COMMONWEALTH BRANDS, INC. Back to top of page BRAND MANUFACTURER USA VECTOR TOBACCO INC. USA GOLD COMMONWEALTH BRANDS, INC ULTRA BUY U.S. FLUE CURED TOBACCO GROWERS, INC. Back to top of page BRAND MANUFACTURER VB MADE IN USA FARMER’S TOBACCO CO. OF CYNTHIANA VAN NELLE (RYO) TOP TOBACCO VANTAGE RJREYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY VIRGINIA SLIMS PHILIP MORRIS USA INC Back to top of page BRAND MANUFACTURER WAVE JAPAN TOBACCO INTERNATIONAL U.S.A. (JTI) WEST COMMONWEALTH BRANDS, INC. WILDHORSE U.S. FLUE CURED TOBACCO GROWERS, INC. WINGS JAPAN TOBACCO INTERNATIONAL U.S.A. (JTI) WINSTON RJREYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY Back to top of page BRAND MANUFACTURER ZIG ZAG (RYO) NATIONAL TOBACCO COMPANY

Tar levels 15 times higher in some cigarette brands

More red 120′s cigarettes

Levels of tar in some brands of tobacco are up to 15 times higher than in others, according to laboratory tests quoted by the Consumer Council yesterday.

Tests on 84 cigarette brands found them all to be within the legal limit of 17 mg of tar per cigarette, though one brand, Pine Prime, which had the highest amount of tar, contained 15 mg per cigarette.

Experts warned even a low amount of tar could damage the health of smokers.

“Do not think that it is safe to smoke a cigarette with lower tar,” a specialist in respiratory medicine, Dr Leung Chi chiu, said.

“The composition of tar is very complicated. Even if the overall amount of tar is low, it may contain a very high level of cancer causing substances.”

Tar is produced when organic material such as tobacco decomposes at high temperatures.

Leung said it was not possible to block tar completely, even if a smoker used a filter.

“Of course it is more dangerous if the cigarette has a very high level of tar,” he said.

The latest edition of the council’s magazine, Choice, cites results of government laboratory tests showing significant differences in tar levels between different brands of tobacco.

Marlboro Black Menthol One, Pianissimo Menthol One and Virginia Slims Menthol Rose, all had the lowest level of 1mg of tar per cigarette.

Pine Prime, made in Korea, had the highest level of 15mg of tar per cigarette, followed by the United States’ Philip Morris Menthol, Hong Kong’s Good Companion Deluxe and China’s Wuyeshen, all with 14mg.

The average level of tar among all the brands tested was 8.4 mg per cigarette.

The level of the addictive substance nicotine detected in the tobacco samples in the December 2013 tests ranged from 0.1 to 1.2 mg per cigarette.

The watchdog warned that electronic cigarettes, which contain nicotine but not tar, are not necessarily a healthy alternative to traditional cigarettes containing tobacco.

While brands of electronic cigarettes feature various concentrations of nicotine, the World Health Organisation has questioned the safety of the devices, warning that inhaling an excessive amount of nicotine is also dangerous.

Leung said there was scientific evidence to suggest that nicotine could affect both the central nervous system and blood vessels.

There was also a report suggesting it had mood altering effects, he said.

The substance, found in plants, is the primary addictive agent in cigarettes and is considered a stimulant.

Leung added “Combining the two substances tar and nicotine together has a more damaging effect on health.”