Widely recognized by many as the first popular filtered cigarette, Kent was introduced by the Lorillard Tobacco Company in 1952[3] around the same time a series of articles entitled "cancer by the carton", published by Reader's Digest,[4] scared American consumers into seeking out a filter brand at a time when most brands were filterless. (Viceroy cigarettes had been the first to introduce filters, in 1936.[5])
Kent widely touted its "famous micronite filter" and promised consumers the "greatest health protection in history". Sales of Kent skyrocketed, and it has been estimated that in Kent's first four years on the market, Lorillard sold some 13 billion Kent cigarettes.
From March 1952 until at least May 1956, however, the Micronite filter in Kent cigarettes contained compressed blue asbestos within the crimped crepe paper, which is the most carcinogenic type of asbestos.[6][7] It has been suspected that many cases of mesothelioma have been caused specifically by smoking the original Kent cigarettes, and various lawsuits followed over the years because of it.[8][9][10] Lorillard quietly changed the filter material from asbestos to the more common cellulose acetate in mid-1956.[6] Kent continued to grow until the late 1960s, then began a long, steady decline as more filtered cigarette brands promising even lower tar (and appealing to smokers' desires for a "safer" smoke) were introduced.
However, Kent continued to stay in the top ten cigarette brand list until 1979.[citation needed] While continuing domestic sale and production, Lorillard sold the overseas rights of Kent and all of its other brands in 1977,[12][failed verification] and today Kents manufactured outside the U.S. are property of British American Tobacco. It eventually became one of their most popular brands, along with Dunhill, Lucky Strike, Pall Mall, and Rothmans.[2]
Between 1970 and 1990 Kent was the most demanded cigarette in Romania and in some parts of the domestic market used as paymentorbribe.[16] In the latter part of the interval, Kent was no longer available in regular retail, being sold officially only in hard currency shops. Obviously, the black market was thriving at the time, as most Kents were being smuggled in by those relatively few Romanians who were allowed to travel abroad (sea and air crew, diplomatic staff, etc.)[17][18] The 2004 debut short film Un cartuș de Kent și un pachet de cafea (lit.'A pack of Kent and a packet of coffee') by Cristi Puiu is titled after the bribes discussed in the film.
^Lynn, Jonathan (1 December 1984). "Cigarettes good as gold in Romania". The Montreal Gazette. Reuters. p. H-7. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2024 – via Google News Archive Search.
