Anti-smoking groups cry foul, but Philip Morris says popular cigarette contains more nicotine and tar than British or Japanese equivalents because it's what consumers want
Hong Kong's most popular brand of cigarettes contains more nicotine and tar than equivalents sold in Britain or Japan, leading to fears that the city's smokers could be exposing themselves to greater health risks.
But a US study just published in Britain suggests the higher tar and nicotine content of Marlboro Lights in the city - and on the mainland - may not carry an appreciably higher health risk.
Expert opinion differs and anti-smoking groups have claimed that the tobacco industry is manipulating public health.
A Hong Kong spokeswoman for Philip Morris, which owns and manufactures the popular Marlboro brand globally, said the disparity in tar levels for its 'Lights' cigarette was in response to consumer preference and different regulatory tar-level ceilings across countries.
'There may be differences in taste preferences from place to place. The amount of tar determines the strength of the cigarette, and we will manufacture according to the consumer preference in that particular country,' she said.
A packet of the Marlboro Lights sold in Hong Kong and across the border in Shenzhen contains 8mg of tar per cigarette, while those sold in Britain, Korea, Japan, and Australia contain only 6mg. US-sold Marlboro Lights contain 11mg of tar, those in Singapore 9mg.
