‘Light’ Cigarettes Are Heavy on Your Health

Don’t be fooled! Switching isn’t better for you.

Cigarette Facts

Nicotine Content - The level of nicotine in U.S. cigarettes has risen in the past six years, making it easier to get hooked and harder to quit.

Cost - Light cigarettes don’t cost any less than regulars.

Amount Consumed - People who smoke light cigarettes often compensate by inhaling more deeply or smoking more cigarettes.

Other Additives - Both regular and light cigarettes contain at least 43 ingredients known to cause cancer in humans.

Passive Smoking - Breathing secondhand smoke is just as damaging to your health as smoking a cigarette (regular or light).

Given the news that the nicotine level in cigarettes has risen 10 percent in the past six years, should you change to “lights”? Don’t let the words “light” or “low-tar” fool you. “Smoking light cigarettes doesn’t necessarily reduce your risk for smoking-related illness,” says Suzanne Smith, community health clinical prevention manager at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network.

These products aren’t light at all—most of them contain the same amount of nicotine, tar and toxins as normal cigarettes. One difference is a filter with ventilation holes. Air passes through the holes and dilutes the tobacco smoke, meaning you take in less of the smoke per puff.

But, these filters are easily fooled. “Smokers cover them with their fingers, and they don’t work properly,” Smith says. “You also can take more puffs or longer, deeper breaths to get the same amount of nicotine as from a regular cigarette.”

The best way to deal with tobacco and improve your health is to quit.

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