Slate reports on the booming industry of counterfeit cigarettes in Yunxiao, China.
But for U.S. consumers, inhaling the knockoff cigarettes may do even more damage than their genuine counterparts. Lab tests show that Chinese counterfeits emit higher levels of dangerous chemicals than brand-name cigarettes: 80 percent more nicotine and 130 percent more carbon monoxide, and they contain impurities that include insect eggs and human feces.
Creepy to think that ‘one in three’ Chinese men under the age of 30 will die from smoking. 2.2 trillion cigarettes annually? The statistics are mind-boggling.
2 Comments
I just want to know how human feces gets into the mix.
I doubt these underground factory workers have a proper place to shit or wash their hands. Handling the tobacco stored in inadequate facilities mean bugs and all sorts of creepy crawlies are thrown into the machines. Altogether it’s a pretty disgusting thought.