"NVWA must release cigarettes from the trade"

The Dutch Food and Consumer Safety Authority (NVWA) is required to take cigarettes which, in practice, exceed maximum limits for tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide. Seventeen signatories write a request for execution to the government agency. The request is an initiative of Stichting Rookpreventie Jeugd. Several doctoral organizations and hospitals have signed the application.

The signatories respond to the RIVM survey that found last month that the amount of harmful substances in cigarettes is much higher than previously thought.

Also read: Make Your Chest Very Wet, Tobacco Maker!

Difference in Search Method

RIVM has always used the legally established ISO method to check the harmfulness of cigarettes. With this method, however, the ventilation holes in the filters allow fresh air to pass through, while in practice, these holes are covered by the fingers. This causes more smoke to enter the lungs and therefore also more tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide.

When the institute conducted research using the so-called "Canadian Intense" method, it appeared that the quantity of harmful substances was 2 to 26 times greater than previously thought. This method estimates the risks of smoking more realistically, according to the RIVM

Fatal Products in the Store

The demand for execution at the NVWA parallels a lawsuit against four major cigarette manufacturers. According to Wanda de Kanter, president of the Smoke Prevention Youth Foundation, it is "logical" that her foundation also tries to get cigarettes out of the stores through civil procedure. With that, she is trying to put more pressure on the tobacco industry.

De Kanter speaks of a "dramatic overtaking of the legal rules" by various tobacco manufacturers. The president believes that the NVWA must intervene to protect public health.

"Why are eggs with a bit of Fipronil removed from the market and something that so many people do not die?"

See also: "I hope it explodes in the mouth"

A spokesman for NVWA confirms that the request arrived on Tuesday. He does not know when the body comes with a reaction. "This is a subject that has attracted our attention for some time, we will study the demand further and make a decision on what we do with it."