SCHEER - Public consultation on the preliminary Opinion on Additives used in tobacco products (Tobacco additives II)

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SCHEER - Public consultation on the preliminary Opinion on Additives used in tobacco products (Tobacco additives II)

Opinion on
Additives used in tobacco products (Tobacco additives II)

The Opinion focuses on guidelines to manufacturers and importers for assessing tobacco additives.

Final Opinion

A public consultation on this Opinion was opened on the website of the non-food scientific committees from 22 July to 22 September 2016. Information about the public consultation was broadly communicated to national authorities, international organisations and other stakeholders.

Results of the public consultation

Twenty-two organisations and individuals participated in the public consultation, providing input to different parts of the Opinion, resulting in 214 contributions and nearly 1000 comments. The SCHEER provided an individual reply to each contributor. Each submission was carefully considered by the SCHEER and the preliminary Opinion has been revised in response to relevant comments.

Each comment and reference submitted during this time has been carefully considered by the SCHEER. Where appropriate, the text of the relevant sections of the Opinion was edited or explanations were added as a result of relevant comments. The literature has been updated with relevant publications. In instances where the SCHEER, after consideration and discussion of the comments, decided to maintain its initial views, the Opinion (or the section concerned) remained unchanged.

Content of the opinion

With this Opinion, the SCHEER provides guidelines which include recommendations on the most suitable methodologies and studies that manufacturers and importers of tobacco products should follow. The Opinion also includes a reporting table to be used in studies for the priority list of 15 additives as well as any other additives that may be added to the list in the future

In line with the Tobacco Products Directive 2014/40/EU and following a previous SCENIHR Opinion (Tobacco Additives I), the Commission has established a priority list of 15 additives contained in cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco subject that require enhanced reporting obligations that is to be updated on a regular basis.

With the "Tobacco Additives II" Opinion, in addition to providing the aforementioned guidance, the SCHEER has analysed major data gaps for the 15 priority additives, in particular, information on toxicity, addictiveness and characterising flavour and the identification of tobacco products that burn at elevated temperatures (so-called "pyrolysis products").

Read also the easy to read science fact-sheet on tobacco additives