HOW DO CIGARETTE FILTERS WORK?
Filters were added to cigarettes in the 1950s when it was discovered that smoking causes lung cancer, leaving cigarette manufacturers under pressure to convince people that smoking was safe. Filters are made of a synthetic fibrous mass called cellulose acetate, which is a kind of fine plastic packed tightly so that it looks like cotton wool.
The material is designed to accumulate the vapours and tar in the fibres before they reach the smoker’s mouth. However, filters in no way lessen the unhealthy smoke being inhaled. In fact, chemicals are added to make cigarettes taste better and to increase the speed at which nicotine is delivered to the brain, thereby keeping users hooked.