BMJ  2004;328 (10 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7431.0

Lower tar makes no difference

Smoking low tar cigarettes does not reduce the risk of lung cancer, and smokers are at higher risk than non-smokers. In a prospective cohort study from the United States, Harris and colleagues (p 72) followed up more than 940 000 people for six years; 25% of them were smokers. They found that the risk of dying from lung cancer was the same for smokers of very low tar (<= 7 mg tar/cigarette), low tar (8-14 mg), and medium tar (15-21 mg) filter cigarettes. People smoking high tar non-filter cigarettes were at an even greater risk, and only those who quit smoking or never smoked had a significantly lower risk of lung cancer.


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Relevant Article

Cigarette tar yields in relation to mortality from lung cancer in the cancer prevention study II prospective cohort, 1982-8
Jeffrey E Harris, Michael J Thun, Alison M Mondul, and Eugenia E Calle
BMJ 2004 328: 72. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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