Asbestos cigarette filter - photo

[Altair]

1950s asbestos cigarette filter.




Previously:

Early asbestos processing - GIF
Making rose petal-tipped cigarettes in the 1950s - GIF
Paving roads with asphalt-asbestos mixes - video
Antique asbestos shingle cutter - photo
Cigarette pack calculator - photo

[Frank S]

Yes by all means, add a filter to the cigarette in an effort to block some of the harshness of the tobacco and keep bits of it out of your mouth with a filter that is 100 times more deadly than the carcinogens in the tobacco, many of which are there as a result of chemically treating the plants to encourage faster growth and higher yields in the first place.

[Pa1963]

TV cigarette ads often touted their filters. Activated charcoal, medicated filters, etc.

[IntheGroove]

Virginia Slims, strong enough to kill a man, but made to kill a woman...

[Pa1963]

You've come a long way, baby!

[nova_robotics]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ventilated_cigarette

Light or "low tar" cigarettes are just regular cigarettes with perforated filter tubes. That dilutes the air, so less cigarette "stuff" is in the air that's inhaled. These perforations pull less air through the lit part of the cigarette, which causes it to burn slower, so it takes longer to smoke. The total dose/exposure is roughly similar but they can claim they're safer.