Translated by CNCT from their French release here.
Following the filing of a complaint by the Comité National Contre le Tabagisme (CNCT) for endangering the lives of others due to the manipulation of filters by tobacco manufacturers, a preliminary investigation has just been opened.
Paris, May 5, 2018 – The Filtergate represents the manipulation of filters by tobacco manufacturers through the perforation of these filters and the existence of tiny holes destined to falsify the tests of the characteristics of cigarettes. Tobacco manufacturers have secretly modified the technical properties of cigarettes in order to delude the approved laboratories in charge of carrying out the tests required by the Public Health code to measure the tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide levels contained in cigarettes emissions of smoked cigarettes. As a result, the introduction of this micro-orifice device into the cigarette filter prevents law enforcement authorities from knowing whether tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide thresholds that they have set, are overstep.
Such an invisible ventilation system misleads smokers since they do not know the real extent/breadth of the risk they are taking. Indeed they believe, wrongly, that they inhale a certain quantity of dangerous products whereas the doses which they absorb are higher than those which are indicated to them.
CNCT lodged a complaint a few months ago against tobacco manufacturers for endangering the lives of others. In the wake of this complaint, a preliminary inquiry has just been opened.
“We are delighted with this decision,” said Professor Yves Martinet, President of Comité National contre le Tabagisme, “and hope that an investigating judge will be appointed soon.”