13 April 2006
Cigarettes containing low levels of tar and nicotine do not indicate that they are less harmful and the best way to protect health is to quit smoking, a spokesman for the Department of Health (DH) said today (April 13).
According to the findings of the latest review of the tar and nicotine yields of 88 brands of cigarettes in Hong Kong in 2005, the spokesman said the average tar and nicotine yields in these cigarettes were 9.1 milligrams and 0.76 millgrams per cigarette (mg/cig) respectively, representing a drop of 0.8 mg/cig and 0.06 mg/cig respectively over the findings of 2004. Of the 88 brands, 50 are classified in the low-tar group (0-9mg/cig), 37 in the middle-tar group (10-14mg/cig), and one in the high-tar group (15-17 mg/cig). The spokesman stressed that cigarettes even in the low-tar group are harmful to smokers' health. "When smokers choose cigarettes in this group instead of cigarettes in the middle-tar or high-tar groups, they may take larger and more frequent puffs or even smoke more cigarettes each day. "Quitting smoking is the only way to reduce a smoker's risk of developing diseases such as heart disease and cancers," the spokesman said. In fact, the Government has proposed in the Smoking (Public Health) (Amendment) Bill 2005 to delete the tar group designation. Members of the public can obtain details of the review for 2005 from the Government Laboratory website at http://www.govtlab.gov.hk . The spokesman reminded members of the public that both smoking and secondhand smoke are hazardous to health. Smoking cessation services, including counselling and nicotine replacement therapy to smokers, are provided by DH and the Hospital Authority to safeguard the health of the community. DH also set up the Tobacco Control Office (TCO) in 2001 to coordinate and enhance the Government's tobacco control efforts. Members of the public may visit the TCO website at http://www.tco.gov.hk or call the office's hotline 1833 183 to obtain more information on smoking cessation.