Cigarette filters raise risk of lung cancer
Modern cigarette filters, which were introduced to reduce the health risks associated with smoking, actually increase the risk of lung cancer, according to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Researchers found that although filter ventilation resulted in lower tar yields, the cigarette burnt down less rapidly, meaning smokers were taking more puffs per cigarette and there was more time for the coal to smoulder and form toxic byproducts. The US Food and Drug Administration now has the authority to ban filter ventilation altogether because it does not serve any public health purpose.

Cigarette filters introduced in the 1960s to reduce the health risks associated with smoking have actually increased the likelihood of lung cancer, researchers say.

The study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute upends the perception by smokers that they are consuming a safer product and is already leading to calls for governments to regulate the design of cigarettes.

Curtin University professor of health policy Mike Daube said it was "one of the most important papers on tobacco in recent years" and urged the government to control the product and its promotion through legislation.

"There is a long history of tobacco industry fraud in relation to lower tar products, and of consumer perceptions that modern filters somehow make cigarettes less harmful," Professor Daube said.