6 months Ago
Very High Nicotine Levels Cause for Concern
Nicotine sticks are physically similar to regular cigarettes, but they are constructed from materials including cellulose and tea leaves, not tobacco or liquid. When heated in an e-cigarette, they deliver nicotine and flavorings. Though these products are free of tobacco, they are harmful to health.
"Smokers can reduce their health risks by using these products, but only if they completely switch too using them," said (RIVM) researcher Reinskje Talhout, who added that tests showed that emissions of nicotine had been shown to exceed safe levels by 18 -25 times. "The amount of nicotine emitted exceeded what we expected at levels at which no health effects should be seen," she said. This high dose can cause elevated heart rate, trouble breathing and addiction.
Since the sticks are tobacco-free, they do not currently fall under existing EU rules on tobacco. As a result there's no legal cap on their nicotine content, which manufacturers have played to the hilt.
Demands for national and European Regulation
Talhout suggests that the Netherlands should bring in its own laws to limit nicotine levels in the products to an amount based on advisory limits applied to other nicotine products. Before those levels, adverse effects are unlikely, she stressed.
But the RIVM's position was supported by Esther Croes of the Trimbos Institute, who warned that the industry will continue bringing out new unregulated ways to deliver nicotine if regulations don't get stricter. "We've seen it with Swedish snus and even nicotine toothpicks," she said. "None of it is covered by the existing tobacco laws."
Croes also demanded a blanket ban on these new nicotine products and stressed that the EU needs to act as a whole. Without it, ports such as Rotterdam could become entry points for such items to other European states, she said. But she said some EU members do not want tougher rules on tobacco, so the Netherlands may have to trailblaze.
