According to a new study conducted by two Canadian researchers, cigarettes described as "Light" or "Ultra-Light" may not reduce the health risks of smoking. Drs. Richard W. Pollay and T. Dewhirst from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, claim tobacco companies, concerned that smokers would quit after evidence linked their product to lung cancer, designed intentionally ineffective high filtration (hi-fi) cigarettes.

The study says filters loosen over time, often providing the smoker with more nicotine than unfiltered cigarettes. The doctors claim filtered cigarettes also contain higher tar levels than advertised. According to documents obtained by Pollay and Dewhirst, one tobacco company even described filtered cigarettes as "merely cosmetic," simply offering "the image of health reassurance."