Can low-tar cigarettes reduce the incidence of lung cancer? Tobacco companies, in order to maintain their commercial interests, continue to improve the processing and design of cigarettes, thereby reducing the standard tar amount. The low-tar propaganda on cigarette packaging has led consumers to believe that choosing low-tar cigarettes will reduce harm, and some have been discouraged from quitting as a result. Studies have shown that people who smoke low-tar cigarettes from the beginning or switch to low-tar cigarettes have lower quit rates than those who smoke regular cigarettes. This lower quit rate further exposes a large number of smokers to the dangers of tobacco over time. Data from a 2008 survey of 1,403 people showed that more than two-thirds of smokers were more likely to buy low-tar cigarettes at the same price, nearly 60 percent believed that smoking low-tar cigarettes would result in less tar inhalation than smoking regular cigarettes, nearly half believed that low-tar cigarettes would reduce the risk of cancer among smokers, and half of current smokers felt that low-tar cigarettes would reduce the risk of cancer. In 2013, Family Doctor Online conducted a survey entitled “World No Tobacco Day – Smoking Survey” which showed that 51.61% of internet users still believe that cigarettes with low tar content are less harmful than regular cigarettes. Low tar does not reduce the harm of smoking. Results from clinical epidemiological studies confirm that smokers who choose low-tar brands do not have a reduced risk of tobacco-related disease. Cigarettes labeled as “light” and “low-tar” did not substantially reduce the risk of disease among smokers. One study found that smokers who smoked very low tar (7mg per cigarette), low tar (8-14mg) and medium tar (15-21mg grams) filter cigarettes had the same risk of dying from lung cancer. It has also been found that people who smoke “low-tar” cigarettes, in an attempt to compensate for the lack of nicotine intake, tend to inhale cigarette smoke deep into their lungs, contributing to an increased incidence of adenocarcinoma of the lung (cancer that occurs deep in the lungs). At the same time, the tar content measured by the machine is no longer representative of the actual amount of tar ingested by the smoker. If the filter is surrounded by one or more air vents, some of the outside air will be drawn in through these vents when the machine smokes, thus diluting the inhaled tobacco smoke and reducing the tar concentration measured by the machine. However, smokers will intentionally or unintentionally use their fingers or lips to hold these small holes, so in the actual smoking process, these vents do not really play a role in diluting tobacco smoke. All tobacco products, including the so-called “low-tar” cigarettes, are deadly. The only effective way for smokers to protect themselves from the dangers of smoking is to quit.