Policy Information Exchange

Following a European Union (EU) mandate, Germany has published a list of all of the additives found in tobacco products. The document is 1,000 pages long, Bloomberg News reported May 17.

The list includes all the chemicals, flavorings, and other ingredients added by manufacturers to cigarettes, cigars, and rolling and pipe tobacco. It also includes information on the nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide contained in each product.

"It is a basic right of the consumer to know what is in the products," said Germany Consumer Protection and Agriculture Minister Renate Kuenas.

The EU requires all member states to publish a list of tobacco ingredients annually; Germany is the first to comply, and further plans to compile a list of additives that release toxic substances, as well as those that are intended to mask the flavor of tobacco.

Source:  Join Together Online.  Join Together is a project of the Boston University School of Public Health.

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