Jeffrey believes that the heavy metals in cigarettes may come from contaminated soil. Tobacco absorbs minerals in the soil like other plants. If the soil contains lead and cadmium, tobacco grown on this soil will also contain these substances.
For some domestic cigarettes, heavy metals were found to exceed the standard. Jin Zhongli, deputy director of the Science and Education Department of the State Tobacco Monopoly Bureau, said that at present, the country has not yet introduced market access standards for all-tobacco heavy metals, only restrictions on raw materials. For example, the content of heavy metals in cigarette paper should not exceed a certain amount.
According to Deputy Director Jin, there is no relevant heavy metal standard for the whole cigarette abroad at present.