Chemists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have developed a technique that reduces the toxic effects of commercially available cigarettes. In spite of the fact that the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that some 6 million people die every year as a consequence of tobacco consumption, the number of smokers around the world is on the rise. The number of tobacco-related deaths is equivalent to the fatality rate that would occur if a passenger plane were to crash every hour. According to figures published by the German Federal Statistical Office, the tobacco industry generated a turnover of around EUR 20.5 billion in 2016 through the sale of cigarettes in Germany alone.