Asbestos in Micronite Asbestos Cigarette Filters
What was the Micronite cigarette filter?
In the early 1950s cigarette manufacturers were becoming spooked by the increasing chorus of voices linking cigarettes to lung cancer. To remedy their sorry state of affairs, companies began offering filtered cigarettes to make their products appear safer. One of the most infamous of these was the Micronite, a (at the time) cutting edge filter developed by the Lorillard Company for their Kent brand. Hailed as a healthy and smart alternative to unfiltered cigarettes, the Micronite was a dangerous product crafted of 70 percent cotton/acetate and 30 percent crocidolite asbestos, regarded as many experts as the most hazardous of the six asbestos minerals. From 1952 to 1957, Kent sold about 13 billion Kents with the asbestos-laced Micronite filter.
Of course, creating an asbestos cigarette filter was a terrifically bad idea, but it gets worse. The filter was so dense that smokers had to inhale even deeper to get the full taste of their cigarette, which drove even more deadly microscopic asbestos filters deeper into the lungs.
How asbestos is hazardous to your health
Microscopic asbestos fibers are so small they remain suspended in air for extended periods. When inhaled, they can enter the lungs like tiny spears, making it nearly impossible for the lung’s defenses to remove the fiber. Over time, the affected area becomes irritated and eventually scarred.
Long term exposure to any form of asbestos can increase the risk of lung cancer, asbestosis, pleural plaques, as well as malignant mesothelioma, a rare but deadly form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Health issues related to asbestos exposure can take up to decades to appear.
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Mesothelioma attorneys may be able to help you
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or any other asbestos-related disease from workplace or home exposure to asbestos, contact an experienced mesothelioma lawyer immediately. Mesothelioma attorneys have helped thousands of mesothelioma patients win compensation for lost wages and medical costs.