April 15, 2004
The average tar and nicotine yields of cigarettes in Hong Kong dropped slightly over the past year, a spokesman for the Department of Health said today (April 15).
Releasing the findings of the latest review of the tar and nicotine yields of 79 best-selling cigarettes, the spokesman said the average tar and nicotine yields of these cigarettes were 10.5 milligrams and 0.84 millgrams per cigarette (mg/cig) respectively, representing respective drops of 0.3 mg/cig and 0.01 mg/cig compared with the previous year's findings.
"Of the 79 brands of cigarettes, 35 brands are classified in the low-tar group (0-9 mg/cig), 33 brands in the middle-tar group (10-14 mg/cig), and 11 brands in the high-tar group (15-17 mg/cig)," the spokesman said.
The Government Chemist has been conducting reviews of the tar and nicotine yields of best-selling cigarettes in Hong Kong since 1983. The findings of the reviews are published annually.
For more details of the review in 2003, see the website of the Government Laboratory at http://www.info.gov.hk/govlab .
The spokesman reminds the public that both smoking and secondhand smoke are hazardous to health. Anyone who would like to quit smoking may contact the Department of Health's Smoking Cessation Hotline at 2961 8883.
A Tobacco Control Office was set up in 2001 under the Department of Health to coordinate and enhance the Government's tobacco control efforts. For more information on tobacco related matters, visit the Tobacco Control Office's website at http://www.tco.gov.hk or telephone 2961 8823.