Who Was Exposed to Asbestos in Cigarette Filters?

Asbestos in cigarette filters exposed countless people to the toxic substance, placing many of them at risk of developing asbestos-related diseases. From cigarette factory workers to consumers, innocent groups of people have since suffered the health consequences due to the negligence of these cigarette brands.

Kent Cigarette Factory Workers

Manufacturers used asbestos in cigarette filters because of its filter-like material, which was dense enough to stop particles and gases from seeping through. People working in environments containing asbestos were bound to inhale the very thin crocidolite fibers.

Lorillard workers were often expected to cut open bags of raw crocidolite asbestos to produce the cigarettes, which put them at significant risk of inhaling such fibers. Kent cigarette filters were made in Massachusetts and shipped to Lorillard’s bases in Kentucky and New Jersey.

Friends and Family of Kent Cigarette Factory Workers

Lorillard factory workers weren’t the only ones exposed to the dangers of asbestos. Since they would often come home wearing the same clothes they worked in, these toxic particles were likely spread through their houses. Unfortunately, family, friends, and neighbors of these workers were put at risk of developing the disease too.

Kent Cigarette Smokers

The millions of people who smoked Kent cigarettes between 1952 and 1956 were also exposed to the asbestos used in their cigarette filters. Many of these have gone on to be diagnosed with mesothelioma and file personal injury mesothelioma lawsuits against the manufacturer.

Secondhand Smoke Exposure

Not only were smokers inhaling asbestos, but those around them were also exposed secondarily to the fibers from the cigarettes’ clouds of smoke.

Did You Know? Asbestos Found in Smoke of Kent Products Lorillard continues to insist that little to no asbestos was leaked from Kent filters, yet numerous tests have shown that the smoke produced by Kent cigarettes contained a sizable amount of asbestos.

In the days before the smoking ban, smokers would light up inside restaurants, at parks, in bars, at work, in the car, etc. This makes for countless places non-smokers could have been subjected to asbestos exposure, through second-hand smoke from Ken cigarettes, in the early 1950s.