The unfiltered truth: eighty years of deception

The cigarette filter should have never existed. For eight decades it has been merely a marketing tool for the tobacco industry to sell more cigarettes. 

It is one of the most persistent beliefs surrounding cigarette filters: the filter protects people who smoke from the toxins of combustion. Years of research, however, show that this is not the case. On the contrary, with filters came deeper inhalation, which has led to new forms of lung cancer. The tobacco industry introduced the filter knowing that it only offered a false sense of security, rather than health benefits. Which was precisely its aim: to inure smokers into a false sense of reassurance, to maximize cigarette sales as much as possible.

No health benefits

Cigarette filters represent one of the most pervasive public health deceptions of the modern era. Despite being marketed as a health innovation since the 1950s, extensive scientific evidence demonstrates that filters provide no health benefits and may actually increase harm through compensation behaviors. A recent analysis published by Yogi Hendlin, assistant professor at Erasmus University and part of the scientific team of No (Plastic) Filter, synthesizes decades of research, legal findings, and insider testimony. It exposes filters as a deliberate fraud perpetrated by the tobacco industry to maintain profits while creating an illusion of safety. 

The introduction of cellulose acetate filters in 1950 was not driven by health concerns but by marketing imperatives. As public awareness of smoking’s health risks grew in the 1950s due to new research linking cigarettes to cancer, tobacco companies sought a solution to maintain sales and boost confidence by making cigarettes seem less harmful. Internal industry documents reveal the cynical calculation behind filter development: “the illusion of filtration is as important as the fact of filtration”. Robert Proctor, Professor of History of Science at Stanford University, has documented how filters became what he terms “the deadliest fraud in the history of human civilization”. In absolute numbers of people killed globally as a result of the filter fraud, this is likely the case.

The lawsuit against the fraudulent filter

In addition to the initial deception, by the 1960s, filter ventilation holes were added to cigarettes to lower laboratory-measured tar yields, enabling manufacturers to “scientifically” promote “light” and “mild” filtered brands as safer alternatives. This strategy proved remarkably successful, with filtered cigarettes achieving an 80% market share by 1990. In 2022 Wanda de Kanter filed a lawsuit against the so-called ‘Sjoemelsigaret’ (rigged cigarette). The Dutch lung doctor treated thousands of patients that fell ill to filtered cigarettes and became a fulltime activist in 2021 fighting the tobacco industry. If the European Court rules in favor, the filtered cigarettes as they are now will not be sold anymore. Tobacco industry lobbying however, has been very strong on this issue for decades, and with an ‘army of lawyers’ betting that they can maintain the fraud.

A persistent belief surrounding cigarette filters

For most people, if not all, it is hard to believe that the filter has no function other than being a barrier between tobacco and a person’s lips. No (Plastic) Filter Campaign leader Karl Beerenfenger shares: “I used to smoke too, from when I was very young, and even though I knew somewhere how stupid it was, I always thought that the filter at least offered me some form of protection. Now I know better: the tobacco industry really doesn’t care about people’s health or the environment.” De Kanter smoked too, even as a lung doctor: ”I had been smoking since I was 12,” she says. “But I never saw any association between that and my chosen profession. Lots of students smoked when I was at medical school (1977-1984). During my first internship, we even smoked in A&E!” It is those beliefs and behaviour that are ingrained in society. It will take a lot of repetition and perseverance to convince policymakers. De Kanter knows all about it, having fought the prevailing perceptions for over a decade. 

And end to the deception

The evidence is overwhelming and unambiguous: cigarette filters represent a massive public health fraud that has deceived consumers for over seven decades. They provide no health benefits, may actually increase harm through compensation behaviors, and constitute a major environmental hazard. The tobacco industry’s own internal documents and court findings confirm that filters were designed not to protect health but to maintain profits while creating an illusion of safety. The scientific consensus, legal findings, and environmental evidence all point to the same conclusion: cigarette filters should be banned as inherently deceptive and harmful products. Only by confronting this fraud directly can public health authorities protect consumers from continued deception and environmental damage. 

A growing number of organisations are calling for an end to the deception by banning all cigarette filters, since all filters are polluting and misleading. The World Health Organization, the Belgian and Swiss Superior Health Councils, the Dutch Trimbos-institute, the Dutch government, various municipalities and many others worldwide are speaking out publicly. You can join them by signing our call. 

Join the action

You can join in on the action and help pressure governments and politicians worldwide to implement a ban on cigarette filters:

Visit our Take Action-page to find more ways to help achieve a ban on cigarette filters!

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