# Cigarette Filter question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 29, 2004, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cigarette-filter-question/237032 "2004-03-29T05:21:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NTChrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e274bd/32.png) [@NTChrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NTChrist)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cigarette-filter-question/237032/1 "2004-03-29T05:21:04Z")
I have started rolling my own cigarettes in an effort to smoke less, and save money. I bought cigarette filters (just the filters, no tubes), but they are now damp a few days after purchase. No water was spilled on them, and they were not put in an especially damp place (stored in the junk drawer). Did the filters absord humidity straight out of the air? Would storing the filters with a dessicant (like the ones in show boxes, etc) help to reduce moisture? Are there any health risks associated with a dessicant, and smoking aparatus? How would you solve this problem? ---
**Author:** ![daffyduck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ec9cab/32.png) [@daffyduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daffyduck)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cigarette-filter-question/237032/2 "2004-03-29T07:12:37Z")
\*Did the filters absord humidity straight out of the air? \* If you are sure they weren’t exposed to any fluids, then that is all that is left, eh? _Would storing the filters with a dessicant (like the ones in show boxes, etc) help to reduce moisture?_ Well obviously, that is what dessicants do, but they do have a limit as to how much they can absorb and so they won’t work unless the filters and the dessicant are together in an air tight container. _Are there any health risks associated with a dessicant, and smoking aparatus?_ Not as long as you avoid smoking the dessicant. The dessicant should never touch the filters. _How would you solve this problem?_ Keep the filters in a zip lock bag. I’d also be concerned that the filters absorbed something other than water. If there are any fluids of any sort in or near the junk drawer, I would suspect them as the source of the dampness. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cigarette-filter-question/237032/3 "2004-03-29T08:15:05Z")
> [@daffyduck](#): > > Well obviously, that is what dessicants do, but they do have a limit as to how much they can absorb and so they won’t work unless the filters and the dessicant are together in an air tight container. Dessicants are often used in non-airtight containers. Shoe boxes, for example. Is Adidas wasting its time?