Chinese cigarettes high in heavy metals

I know many people in China smoke. Some Chinese cigarettes contain amounts of lead, arsenic and cadmium that are three times higher than levels found in Canadian cigarettes, a study has found.

To read more go to link:

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reute ... hina_tobacco_metals

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Another source:

China Daily, October 12, 2010

A senior official with the country's top tobacco watchdog has expressed doubts over the credibility of a study which suggests that some Chinese cigarettes contain too many heavy metals, saying simply comparing Chinese and Canadian cigarettes is not scientific.

A study released on Thursday by the International Tobacco Control Project shows that some Chinese cigarettes have significantly high levels of heavy metals, with some containing about three times the level of lead, cadmium and arsenic of Canadian cigarette brands.

The brands involved include Honghe, Hongtashan and Baisha, and the metal content in tobacco comes from the contaminated soil in which the tobacco leaf is grown, the study shows.

However, Wang Xiansheng, deputy director of the technology department of China's State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, expressed doubts over the study's credibility.

"I don't think the research which simply compares Chinese- and Canadian-made cigarettes can be trusted and so far there are no standards on tobacco products' heavy mental concentration in China and the world," he said on Saturday.

Wang made no direct comments on the heavy metal content level in Chinese-made cigarettes.

An unnamed official with the general office of the Shanghai Tobacco (Group) Co told the Yangtze Evening News on Saturday that the high heavy metal concentration detected in the cigarettes comes mainly from tobacco leaves.

"It's related to many factors including the natural environment where they grow, so that's not under the control of the tobacco producer," the officer was quoted as saying.

Official documents show the heavy metal problem has caught the attention of the administration.

A document posted by the administration's website in 2009 says tobacco plants are prone to absorbing heavy metals from the soil they grow in and the heavy metal inhaled by people while smoking could harm their health.

"To work out technologies addressing the problem will help improve consumers' health and the competitiveness of Chinese-made tobacco products in the global market," the document says.

Experts warn that almost all of the heavy metals have known health effects: arsenic is a poison, cadmium can cause cancer and lead is toxic to the brain - and these metals get into smokers' bodies along with a cocktail of other toxins.

"The presence of such contaminants in an already deadly consumer product demonstrates the need for strong regulation of tobacco products. Smokers and non-smokers in China and elsewhere deserve to know what is in their cigarettes," said Richard O'Connor with the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, New York, who led the study.

Each year, 1 million smokers die from tobacco-related diseases in China, and another 100,000 die from exposure to secondhand smoke. If current trends continue, China's death toll from tobacco will reach 2 million a year by 2020, official statistics showed.

Worse, knowledge about the harm of cigarettes is far lower in China than internationally, the new study shows. Only 68 percent of smokers in China believe that smoking leads to lung cancer and only 36 percent believe smoking causes heart disease.

In addition, more than 70 percent of Chinese smokers wrongly believe that "light" or "low tar" cigarettes are less harmful, a previous survey showed.

"Weak cigarette package warnings are ineffective at educating the public about the serious consequences of smoking," said Wang Ke'an, director of the Think Tank Research Center for Health Development, a non-governmental organization based in Beijing.

The warnings on the back of cigarette packages in China are written in English and fewer than 10 percent of smokers in China understand them, he said.

A survey of 1,200 people across four Chinese cities found the warning labels to be much less effective than warning labels from other countries, especially those with graphic images.

http://www.china.org.cn/china/2010-10/12/content_21103540.htm

[ Last edited by  Weelock at 13-10-2010 02:38 ]

Haven't we always known that Heavy Metal and Cigs go hand in hand?

I have heard heavy metals are in the food chain in China everywhere.  China is extremely polluted.  I have a Western friend who lives in China. He soaks his vegetables in water for about 3-4 hours before cooking and eating them. He told me China uses too much pesticide on farming.

I also know most Chinese families will not eat anything that is not cooked thoroughly. They will not eat anything that is not cooked fully, like fish, beef, seafood and vegetables. They feel by cooking, it will make it more safer to eat.

[ Last edited by  Weelock at 13-10-2010 12:37 ]

You wont be able to soak or wash away pesticide from vegetables as its already IN the vegetables themselves, you merely wash off the topical dirt and for that psychological assurance that its 'clean'

Many people steer me away from trying anything raw in China too.. no sashimi , no sushi and everything else needs to be thoroughly cooked!
Just saw an episode on Discovery about parasites living in crab.. read and be warned
http://animal.discovery.com/invertebrates/monsters-inside-me/lung-fluke-paragonimus-westermani/

On topic again: Am not suprised that Chinese sigs are worse then 'normal' ones.. As long as it means more profit and more money!

Damn...luckily I never go for chinese cigs, they always taste so much stronger, or "fuller in flavour" as mainlanders call it. 3 times is a lot!

Theres one particular brand I found funny, called huo wang - meant to be monkey king, but could also be throat king!

I can honestly say that my health has gone to shit after living in China for 5 years, ( im only 30 years old btw ).  Though I have a weak immune system as it is, I have found myself constantly getting sick, especially with stomach problems and respiratory problems.

No wonder the chicks in china prefer to suck cock than smoking, though most of the guys' dick smell like ammonia

Or mouthwash and hospital if they use listerine and dettol!

Still can't believe that!

tell him to be careful...
sometimes the water is more toxic than the vegetables...
if he must soak in water, tell him to add salt to the water.
it works as a mild disinfectant.


not long ago...  i went to the wet market in china with a girl..
she told me... if the vegetables has no worm holes.. don't buy.
if the strawberry looks very red and ripe... don't buy.
if the eggs look clean and free from chicken shit.... don't buy.

you are right about the water, absolutely horrible.  

The stench of the water is especially noticeable whenever I return to China from another country.  As soon as I turn on that hot water, the smell is absolutely horrendous, after a couple days you get use to it again..  

I know about the bad conditions in water. It's mostly from old pipes in the streets and houses.   Sometimes, including HK, the water might be brownish in color from old pipes. This is even for the USA. Before using it, I let the water run for about 1 minute.

I try to be cautious when they put ice cubes in my drinks. I know some places in China, HK use strange tap water and freeze the water, making ice cubes. They don't filter the water. They think freezing will kill the germs making it safe. I often wonder when they put ice into my drink, is it safe.

I know MacDonald and KFC are fine. The tap water is filter first, then goes into the ice making machine.

I love to drink ice slush, mix with fruit. They use a blender to mix the a lot of ice, syrup and fruit.  So far only twice I was extremely sick in China with the runs.

[ Last edited by  Weelock at 13-10-2010 12:39 ]

May i ask what you normally eat in China?
You always eat out or cook at home and what would you eat then?

Just curious in your lifestyle in China..

I've been to a few supermarkets in China before and i know that food is dirt cheap, especially food that has been marinated or 'ready-to-eat'... but i often wonder how they could make the food so damn cheap sometimes that you would think they'd faked it somehow

Well in China, 65 percent of the time I cook, the remaining time I eat out.  

What i eat in specific?  thats a shit load of stuff, but I generally cook in a pretty healthy way.  well balanced and low on the salt.  When I have the opportunity I shop at City supermarket since most of their stuff is grown organically in hainan, they have their own farm that produces beef/pork/poultry as well.  

The local supermarkets in China are a bit dodgy at times, meat and vegetable are cheap, but I can't guarantee the toxicity levels of it due to high usage of antibiotics/pesticides.  When I am at a local market the main concern is freshness.  The e-mart ( carrefour like shop ) by my house is highly scandalous when it comes to freshness.  You will see them try to sale beef that has damn near turned black at a discount, or they take the expired beef mixed with some fresh cuts and make a dirty ground beef with it, i feel bad for the sucker that buys this.  8 times out of 10 the seafood sold at emart is unfresh as well.  Vegetables seem to be okay, but like I said, i dunno how high the pesticides level is.  I usually purchase my pork/poultry from the local wet market since its guranteed fresh for the most part.  Hope this answers some of your questions.

[ Last edited by  scootermonger at 13-10-2010 07:20 ]

Smokes in China are super cheap, guys are always asking me to buy them smokes... inadvertently I could be killing them by bringing this stuff back to them!

i was reading the paper and one of the number one health concerns in HK is respiratory illnesses.  these types of smokes definitely add to the problem of pollution.

You can also get some good smokes in China. Some premium brands are excellent and better than any US cigarette except for American Spirit (which also cost a lot). Some Chinese cigarettes are organic and cost 10-20 times more than the regular cigarettes. I am now a fan of one obscure Chinese brand because I seem to smoke a lot less when I smoke this premium Chinese cigarette and also no longer have a smokers cough. Deng xiao Peng used to smoke Panda cigarettes, one of the most expensive brands, even at 90 and it wasn't the cigarettes that killed him

[ Last edited by  geoduck at 13-10-2010 10:48 ]

Could you put up a picture and the name of the obscure brand you favour. I have a few smoking friends in China whom I'll try and turn onto the brand next time I see them and no doubt there are a few smokers on the forum who would be interested.

Why do chinese like to smoke so much?! Especially indoors and blow it onto everyones breathing space

Anyways, smoking tobacco leaves is already harmful enough. How much difference does some extra heavy metals make?

Are you 99% sure they are NOT fakes ?  Are we all know many things are fake in China be careful.

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For fake cigarettes, I had a friend who told me to buy him a case of Marlboro cigarettes made in the USA. I don't remember exactly but the ones in China are labeled grown/made with tobacco from China, Thailand, Vietnam or the Philippines.

He tried a real pack of Marlboro grown/made in the USA once. He said they was much stronger and better. He told me most places that sold Marlboro labled grown/made in the USA are fake in China. He asked me to get him a case from the USA.  After getting him a case, his jaw dropped when I told him the price. There is a heavy tax on cigarettes and the amount of tax is different from state to state. It was about 34 USD for a case that contained 10 packs. In China, it's around 10 USD for a case but they are not made in the USA.

[ Last edited by  Weelock at 13-10-2010 16:25 ]

Atomic, The name of the cigarette is Chang BaiShan. It's the name of the famous mountain bordering North Korea and China. They make 3 different types, the lowest grade one is RMB10, then they have two different types (5mg) for RMB25 and their top grade one is RMB90 which is only 3mg. They come from NE China and are very abundant there. I shall try and post a picture shortly. I have also seen them sold in Beijing and in Guangzhou in some big tobacco shops but other than that, you will only find them in the Northeast.

yea... changbaishan is good stuff.
the pack u gave me.. stays fresh even after 1 week..
freakin smooth ciggie..

the only bad thing is... it burns way tooooo fast...
maybe i like to drag my smokes..