Kreteks

Kreteks (Clove cigarettes)
Kreteks (pronounced “cree-techs”) are also known as clove cigarettes.  Kreteks are imported from Indonesia and typically contain a mixture consisting of tobacco, cloves, and other additives.    Kreteks typically contain 40% cloves and 60% tobacco, but studies have shown that they are no less hazardous to a smoker’s health than cigarettes.  Smoking analysis indicates that kreteks deliver more nicotine, carbon monoxide, and tar than conventional cigarettes.
Health risks:

  • Kretek smokers have 13 to 20 times the risk for abnormal lung function compared to non-smokers.
  • Kretek smoking is associated with an increased risk for acute lung injury such as decreased oxygen, fluid in the lungs, leakage from capillaries, and inflammation), especially among susceptible individuals with asthma or respiratory infections.

References:

http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/tobacco_industry/bidis_kreteks/index.htm obtained July 15, 2009

Mangunnegoro H, Sutoyo DK. Environmental and Occupational Lung Diseases in Indonesia. Respirology 1996;1:85–93 [cited 2015 Nov 9].

World Health Organization. Tobacco: Deadly in Any Form or Disguise. [PDF–1.2 MB] Geneva: World Health Organization, 2006 [accessed 2015 Nov 9].