Tobacco companies have been adding substances to cigarettes to make them more addictive, reports Dutch newspaper Nederlands Dagblad. Guidelines issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO) have not been incorporated into national legislation.

The Dutch public health watchdog (RIVM) monitors the use of additives – more than a thousand different types have been registered – but has not banned any of them.

WHO guidelines
In November last year, delegates from 170 countries signed a UN tobacco control treaty during a conference in Uruguay. The treaty also called on the tobacco industry to disclose its products’ ingredients.

Some of the substances added to cigarettes are used to increase the addictive kick, others to make cigarettes more appealing. The total amount of additives in cigarettes accounts for ten percent of the weight of a cigarette.

Sweet smoke
Sweeteners and chocolate are used to make cigarettes more palatable to younger smokers. Eugenol and menthol numb the throat to mask the aggravating effects of the smoke. Additives like cocoa dilate the airways allowing the smoke an easier passage into the lungs.

The WHO points out that cigarette smoking kills more people than AIDS, road accidents, illegal drugs, murder and suicide combined.

(jn/imm)

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