Brussels, 04/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - At the end of January, the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) published a list of 48 additives, which, added to cigarettes and rolling tobacco, could constitute a threat to human health. This study is expected to help the Commission identify at least 15 additives to be placed on a priority list by May 2016, as stipulated in Directive 2014/40/EU on tobacco-related products (Article 6).
Additives are all substances, with the exception of water, added during the manufacturing process of a tobacco product, including preservatives, humectants, flavourings and technological adjuvants. The tobacco industry currently uses a least 600 of these. In its report, SCENIHR identifies 17 additives that display non-combustible toxicity. These substances include cellulose, glycerol, cocoa and guar gum.
The SCENIHR opinion will be followed by a more thoroughgoing assessment. It is the first of two on additives used in tobacco products. The second opinion will focus on guidelines for this type of study, which manufacturers are expected to carry out, as well as the criteria that should apply to the controls when assessing the utility of additives. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)