Smokers are at greater risk of dying from lung cancer and COPD after the turn of the millennium, according to a 2013 American study. The reason may be a result of the tobacco industry's deliberate changes to the content of cigarettes. Various additives in cigarettes make it less likely to provoke coughing, which allows the smoke to reach deeper into the bronchi and lungs, leading to more severe damage.
–It is these throat flukes that have led to the damage in the lungs occurring further out and being distributed over larger volumes, says Hans Gilljam, chairman of Doctors Against Tobacco.
More people die from lung cancer and COPD
The researchers examined mortality rates among smokers during three time periods, 1959–1965, 1982–1988 and 2000–2010, and found that a higher percentage of smokers in the latter group died of lung cancer and COPD than in the other groups. The risk of dying from COPD among smokers increases, while it decreases among non-smokers.
– What is particularly frightening is that the risks of death from, for example, lung cancer and COPD are as high as 25 times and upwards compared to those who have never smoked, says Hans Gilljam.
Other results from the study are that female smokers now have the same risk as male smokers of dying from tobacco-related diseases. The positive thing is that those who quit smoking reduce their risk of dying from tobacco-related diseases.
More addictive
A report from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids explains the changes tobacco companies have made that make cigarettes more addictive, more attractive to young people, and more deadly.
According to the report, some of the additives expand the airways so that it is easier for the smoke to reach the lungs. Ventilated filters make smokers suck harder on cigarettes, which causes the carcinogens to go deeper. Added ammonia compounds help nicotine reach the brain faster. Sugar contributes to a smoother taste and increases the effect of the nicotine. Levulinic acid increases the nicotine content in the smoke and makes the brain more receptive to nicotine.
The report from Tobacco-Free Kids concerns the American tobacco industry.
–There is no reason to believe that the content, including additives, in cigarettes differs between the USA and Sweden. Overall, there are very few studies in this area, says Hans Gilljam.
High-tech product
Today's cigarettes are high-tech products that can be mass-produced with great precision – a cigarette of a certain brand always tastes the same. The product is optimized based on nicotine content, taste and manufacturing cost, says Hans Gilljam. The tobacco plant itself is often genetically modified or specially bred for different purposes.
Nicotine is an extremely addictive substance. A study from Massachusetts Medical School shows that the nicotine content in tobacco smoke has increased by 15 percent since 1997, even though the amount of nicotine in a cigarette has remained the same.
–How is it that while more and more alarming reports are becoming known, the tobacco industry is allowed to develop even more harmful products? “Follow the money” is a well-known method for investigative journalists who want to expose criminals. It is difficult to imagine a more serious crime against us, our children and grandchildren than allowing the tobacco industry to continue as it has been until now, says Hans Gilljam.
Read more:
About increased amounts of nicotine in cigarette smoke
Facts: Flavorings in tobacco
Tobacco companies add substances to their products that enhance the effects of nicotine, reduce the smell of tobacco, and make the smoke tastier and more attractive. Until 1970, hardly any additives were used. Since then, over a thousand different substances have been added, which now make up almost ten percent of the weight of cigarettes.
In many cases, combinations of additives are used. One example is ammonia, which releases more nicotine and therefore gives the smoker a stronger kick. In combination with added sugar, the smoke becomes less irritating. Cocoa is added both because it tastes good and because it contains a substance that dilates the airways so that the smoke penetrates further into the lungs and the body is exposed to more nicotine and tar.
In Sweden, it has been prohibited to sell cigarettes and rolling tobacco with a characteristic flavor since May 2016. However, it is permitted to sell flavored cigarettes until 2020, if the substance has more than three percent of the market. This applies, for example, to menthol, the most commonly used flavoring.
Facts and myths about flavorings in tobacco
Film
Here is a film to spread on social media, to raise awareness that the tobacco industry adds toxins to cigarettes.
