What’s the difference between “ultra-light”, “light”, and “regular” filter?
Which is the one deemed the “lesser evil”?
Does ultra light filter mean that the filter is the which allows more nicotine to pass through or what?
Lights and ultra-lights usually have longer filters (usually up to 25mm rather than the 15mm full flavor). The filter can also be compressed more so it is more dense. This filters out more of the tar and nicotine of the tobacco. Also, many lights and ultra-lights use perferated filters. This allows more air to mix with the smoke to dilute it.
Most ultra-lights also use a lot of reconstituted tobacco. Reconstituted tobacco is where they take tobacco scraps and mix them into a paper pulp. This pulp is extruded into thin sheets, flavored, colored, and then cut into strips like tobacco. Since it has less actual tobacco in it, it has less nicotine. Nicotine is added to the reconstituted tobacco for full flavor cigarettes to raise it to the level it would have had if it was actual tobacco.
Which one is the “lesser evil” is debatable. Studies have shown that with light and especially ultra-light cigarettes, they are so light that people may draw harder on them. This draws the smoke deeper into the lungs. You don’t have to draw as hard on a regular (full flavored) cigarette. Also, a person would need to smoke more light cigarettes to get the same level of nicotine that a full flavor cigarette would give you.
But if a person were to smoke the exact same number of cigarettes and draw exactly the same, the light or ultra-light might be better. Assuming that each cigarette has the same number of added flavorings, colorings and other additives.
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