A Beijing smoker has taken a tobacco company and one of its sales agent to court, accusing them of producing or selling cigarettes which turned his teeth an ugly yellow.

Liu Shengjiang, a 35-year-old law professor, started smoking 15 years ago and now smokes on average two packs per day.

Liu said smoking has affected his health and tainted his teeth.

Liu said he was addicted to the “Nanjing” brand cigarette. He accused the factory of “failing to give a clear indication of the harm of smoking.”

“The producer only said ’smoking is harmful’ on its package, but we consumers don’t know what harm it will cause us,” Liu said.

“If there were more specific warnings a lot of potential consumers will stay away from smoking,” he added.

Liu demanded a written apology and $45 in compensation for cleaning his teeth from the factory and the Guohua Department Store, where he bought the cigarettes.

But an attorney representing the defendant said it could not be proved that “Nanjing” cigarette had directly resulted in Liu’s dental problems, saying drinking tea or soda water can also yellow the teeth.

“The packages as well as the warning on them are in line with national packaging standards,” the attorney said.

Liu said that students and teachers at his university had prepared more than 10 legal cases to bring against the tobacco companies, urging them to adopt new packages to warn people against smoking.

(Sina English)

By Sirius on 07-07-2007