| Incredible as it may seem - because the dangers of | | | | large number of workers from the Kent factories |
| asbestos were already beginning to be known - back | | | | making the filters began coming down with those |
| in the 50s the P. Lorillard Company was using deadly | | | | respiratory diseases, the alarm was raised. In 1995 |
| crocidolite fibers in its Kent cigarette filters. In a review | | | | scientists located unopened packages of Kent filter |
| guide on eBay, an asbestos-identifying private | | | | cigarettes date stamped from 1952. They put them |
| consultant writes about the history of the | | | | through testing with artificial smoking machines that |
| asbestos-laden "micronite" filter used on Kent | | | | could measure the contents of the smoke. Extensive |
| cigarettes between 1952 and 1956. And the U.S. | | | | testing with first puffs and puffs after cigarettes had |
| government website notes that anyone who smoked | | | | been put out and relit revealed that crocidolite fibers |
| a pack a day of Kent cigarettes between 1952 and | | | | were present in the filters. They showed that many of |
| 1956 may have been exposed to as much as 131 | | | | the fibers were long enough to be classed as more |
| million crocidolite structures in a single year. | | | | likely to be carcinogenic and that substantial numbers |
| If you know anyone who was a smoker during this | | | | of those longer fibers were carried directly into the |
| period, you may want to advise them of the danger to | | | | smokers' mouth and lungs. |
| which they may have been exposed. Suggest they | | | | As time has passed and more and more people are |
| consult a physician who is an expert at understanding | | | | growing sick 30, 40, and 50 years later because of |
| the early signs of asbestosis, lung cancer, and | | | | negligent behaviors by corporate entities long ago, our |
| mesothelioma. Early detection can help with treatment | | | | society has begun to realize that advertising can be |
| and possibly improve quality of life. See below to find | | | | manipulated to say anything that serves to boost |
| information about doctors who understand the | | | | sales, regardless of whether it's based on facts. This is |
| complexities of diagnosing and treating mesothelioma. | | | | a good thing for public health--though too late for many. |
| Perhaps even more interesting was the claim that | | | | We are dedicated to helping assist those who may be |
| Kent cigarettes made for the positive health benefits | | | | suffering from mesothelioma from any cause. |
| the filter supposedly conferred on smokers. When a | | | | |