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Smuggled Cigarettes May Be Dangerous

December 15, 2004
British health agencies are warning that smuggled cigarettes are often faked and made with highly dangerous contaminated tobacco. More than half the contraband cigarettes seized by British customs office are faked, as are 85 percent of all cigarettes sold in London, the Customs and Excise service said.

The smuggled cigarettes are cheaper than authentic cigarettes, since they avoid taxes, but have been found to be especially hazardous. Analysis of counterfeit cigarettes found "substantial contamination" in the tobacco from poisons such as cadmium and arsenic, according to a scientific study carried out for the British government.

The problem is that, at least in Britain, it's nearly impossible to tell the difference between smuggled fakes and the real thing. Off-brand and counterfeit cigarettes in the U.S. could presumably subject users to similar risks.

Analysis of counterfeit cigarettes found "worrying" results, said Ed Stephens, a scientist from the University of St Andrews in Scotland. "Our investigation revealed substantial contamination in counterfeit cigarettes by heavy metals, including the human carcinogens cadmium and arsenic," he said. Cadmium can damage the lungs and is linked with kidney disease.

The fakes contain nearly six times as much lead, which damages organs and the nervous system. They also show higher levels of tar and nicotine.

More than a million cigarettes a week are seized by Customs officers at Manchester Airport and half of them are thought to be counterfeit. The counterfeit smokes are manufactured mostly in China and eastern Europe, using whatever tobacco the smugglers can get their hands on.

Customs Minister John Healey warned smokers tempted to buy cheap smuggled cigarettes that increasing numbers of them are hazardous

"Over the past four years we've seized nine billion cigarettes and destroyed more than 250 organised smuggling gangs," he said. "But because we've disrupted the supply lines and made it more difficult for the criminals to get their hands on genuine cigarettes, they are now starting to manufacture their own fake versions."

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