One of the most insidious aspects of mesothelioma, the fatal cancer caused by asbestos exposure, is that the disease often appears decades after the victim’s exposure to asbestos.  That fact, combined with the widespread use of asbestos in industrial and construction products, has become a puzzle that every mesothelioma victim who is seeking compensation must solve.

One of the more ironic uses of asbestos that has come back to haunt many older Americans is as a filtration component for filter cigarettes.  Those who can remember the introduction of filtered cigarettes in the 1950s will remember that they were touted for their health benefits.  Supposedly they exposed the smoker to “less tar,” “less nicotine,” and other unnamed and unhealthy byproducts of a good old American smoke.

One of the most popular brands to emerge during that period was Kent cigarettes, a brand that had relatively heavy filtration, seemingly resulting in reduced nicotine consumption which was interpreted as a “healthy” way to continue a smoking habit.

Some decades later, the fact that Kent’s filters used asbestos as a principal component has become a major issue in litigation seeking compensation for mesothelioma victims who were exposed to asbestos.  From 1952 until at least 1956, Kent cigarettes used asbestos fibers as part of the filtration material rolled into the end of the cigarette.  The “Micronite Filter” was a major advertising pitch point to Americans who were considering giving up the traditional unfiltered cigarettes for this new technology.

Now, decades later, the Lorillard Tobacco Company has become the target of mesothelioma victims seeking compensation for exposure to this lethal material.  Their advertising programs pitching ‘healthier’ cigarettes were in fact an invitation to continuous exposure to asbestos fibers.