Brief: Tobacco contained harmful nicotine and also contained toxic metals. Cigarettes produced in China contain three times the amount of heavy metals found in Canada-manufactured brands, according to a research paper published by the journal Tobacco Control Thursday.
Over the past 12 years, Guo Song, 24, an engineer in Beijing, had never thought about quitting smoking. While he is aware that the habit can lead to lung disease, he still takes five cigarettes a day to relax.
However, recent new information on cigarettes produced in China prompted Guo to change his mind.
"I knew tobacco contained harmful nicotine, but I never knew they contained toxic metals!" he told the Global Times Monday, dropping his cigarette and crushing it under his foot.
Cigarettes produced in China contain three times the amount of heavy metals found in Canada-manufactured brands, according to a research paper published by the journal Tobacco Control Thursday.
The metals are lead, cadmium, arsenic and chromium.
Researchers from Canada, the US and the UK selected 13 out of 78 Chinese cigarette brands purchased from seven Chinese cities between 2005 and 2007 for testing. The 13 brands include Baisha from Hunan Province and Daqianmen from Shanghai.
The researchers said more investigations were needed to determine the harmful effects the metals had on smokers.
"But one thing is important to know: more harm is done when these substances are taken into the body directly, rather than simply being transferred by skin contact," Professor Geoffrey Fong, co-author of the paper from the University of Waterloo, told the Global Times in an e-mail Monday.
Hao Fengtong, a toxicologist at Beijing's Chaoyang Hospital, said excessive heavy metal levels are poisonous to the human body.
"Lead can cause anemia and damage the nervous and digestive systems, cadmium will damage the kidney, and arsenic will lead to mental disorders, cancer and damage to the skin and mucous membranes," Hao said Monday.
Consumer habits
China is the world's largest tobacco producer and consumer, purchasing about 38.9 million boxes of cigarettes last year, according to the China National Tobacco Corporation.
The number of Chinese smokers above 15 years old has reached 300 million, and about 38 percent of Chinese suffer from passive smoking every day, a survey released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC) showed in August.
About 1 million people in the country die from smoking-related diseases every year.
However, an official from the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration of China (STMA) said that the research findings are not objective.
"Chinese cigarettes are no worse than foreign ones. China and the international community don't have standards on heavy metal levels in cigarettes. Besides, some of the cigarettes that were tested are already off the market," Wang Xiansheng, an official from STMA, told a website run by the Procuratorate Daily Saturday.
Two of the 13 brands tested, Happiness and Yizhibi, have already ceased production.
However, the researchers said the findings are still valid and consumers should know what they are exposed to.
"We have little reason to believe that the situation would have changed in the last three years (although the cigarettes were purchased in 2006)," O'Connor told the Global Times in an e-mail Monday.
Some of the tobacco companies in question declined to comment, and others blamed the problem on the climate.
"The higher level of heavy metals is related to the climate of the places where tobacco leaves are grown, which we cannot control," said a worker from Shanghai Tobacco Group, producer of Daqian-men and Double Happiness.
Calls to the press office of the Hongta Group went unanswered Monday.
Down to earth
The research paper said the cigarettes contained metal due to contamination in the soil.
"It's a reality that heavy metal has become one of the major pollutants of farmland and the crops grown on it in China," Wang Zuwei, a professor from the College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Tianjin Normal University, told the Global Times yesterday.
Statistics released by the China Food Safety Forum last year revealed that metal pollution affected more than 20 million hectares of farmland.
In 2009, some 12 pollution incidents related to heavy metals were reported, involving 4,035 people with excessive lead in their blood and 182 people with excessive cadmium, China News Service reported earlier.
Wang said the pollution was caused by small factories that had low awareness of environmental protection, and discharged chemicals without proper treatment.
"Now, the government has become aware of the problem and shut down many small factories. But how to return the land to its former good quality is still a critical issue," Wang added.
Yang Gonghuan, deputy director of the CCDC, said the tobacco industry should still be held responsible for contaminated cigarettes.
Yang said the tobacco industry in China is not subject to monitoring by any third party, and is not required to release cigarette test results to the public.
Fong, co-author of the research paper, said Chinese consumers are often "kept in the dark" about the harmful substances found in cigarettes.
Fong said many cigarettes are packaged as "light" or "low-tar," misleading consumers into believing they are less harmful.
"Among Chinese people, knowledge is low, misperceptions are high, and unless stronger action is taken, China will soon find itself in the midst of an even more devastating public health disaster than it is experiencing now," Fong said.
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Over the past 12 years, Guo Song, 24, an engineer in Beijing, had never thought about quitting smoking. While he is aware that the habit can lead to lung disease, he still takes five cigarettes a day to relax.However, recent new information on cigarettes produced in China prompted Guo to change his mind."I knew tobacco contained harmful nicotine, but I never knew they contained toxic metals!" he told the Global Times Monday, dropping his cigarette and crushing it under his foot.Cigarettes produced in China contain three times the amount of heavy metals found in Canada-manufactured brands, according to a research paper published by the journal Tobacco Control Thursday.The metals are lead, cadmium, arsenic and chromium.Researchers from Canada, the US and the UK selected 13 out of 78 Chinese cigarette brands purchased from seven Chinese cities between 2005 and 2007 for testing. The 13 brands include Baisha from Hunan Province and Daqianmen from Shanghai.The researchers said more investigations were needed to determine the harmful effects the metals had on smokers."But one thing is important to know: more harm is done when these substances are taken into the body directly, rather than simply being transferred by skin contact," Professor Geoffrey Fong, co-author of the paper from the University of Waterloo, told the Global Times in an e-mail Monday.Hao Fengtong, a toxicologist at Beijing's Chaoyang Hospital, said excessive heavy metal levels are poisonous to the human body."Lead can cause anemia and damage the nervous and digestive systems, cadmium will damage the kidney, and arsenic will lead to mental disorders, cancer and damage to the skin and mucous membranes," Hao said Monday.Consumer habitsChina is the world's largest tobacco producer and consumer, purchasing about 38.9 million boxes of cigarettes last year, according to the China National Tobacco Corporation.The number of Chinese smokers above 15 years old has reached 300 million, and about 38 percent of Chinese suffer from passive smoking every day, a survey released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC) showed in August.About 1 million people in the country die from smoking-related diseases every year.However, an official from the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration of China (STMA) said that the research findings are not objective."Chinese cigarettes are no worse than foreign ones. China and the international community don't have standards on heavy metal levels in cigarettes. Besides, some of the cigarettes that were tested are already off the market," Wang Xiansheng, an official from STMA, told a website run by the Procuratorate Daily Saturday.Two of the 13 brands tested, Happiness and Yizhibi, have already ceased production.However, the researchers said the findings are still valid and consumers should know what they are exposed to."We have little reason to believe that the situation would have changed in the last three years (although the cigarettes were purchased in 2006)," O'Connor told the Global Times in an e-mail Monday.Some of the tobacco companies in question declined to comment, and others blamed the problem on the climate."The higher level of heavy metals is related to the climate of the places where tobacco leaves are grown, which we cannot control," said a worker from Shanghai Tobacco Group, producer of Daqian-men and Double Happiness.Calls to the press office of the Hongta Group went unanswered Monday.Down to earthThe research paper said the cigarettes contained metal due to contamination in the soil."It's a reality that heavy metal has become one of the major pollutants of farmland and the crops grown on it in China," Wang Zuwei, a professor from the College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Tianjin Normal University, told the Global Times yesterday.Statistics released by the China Food Safety Forum last year revealed that metal pollution affected more than 20 million hectares of farmland.In 2009, some 12 pollution incidents related to heavy metals were reported, involving 4,035 people with excessive lead in their blood and 182 people with excessive cadmium, China News Service reported earlier.Wang said the pollution was caused by small factories that had low awareness of environmental protection, and discharged chemicals without proper treatment."Now, the government has become aware of the problem and shut down many small factories. But how to return the land to its former good quality is still a critical issue," Wang added.Yang Gonghuan, deputy director of the CCDC, said the tobacco industry should still be held responsible for contaminated cigarettes.Yang said the tobacco industry in China is not subject to monitoring by any third party, and is not required to release cigarette test results to the public.Fong, co-author of the research paper, said Chinese consumers are often "kept in the dark" about the harmful substances found in cigarettes.Fong said many cigarettes are packaged as "light" or "low-tar," misleading consumers into believing they are less harmful."Among Chinese people, knowledge is low, misperceptions are high, and unless stronger action is taken, China will soon find itself in the midst of an even more devastating public health disaster than it is experiencing now," Fong said.