- Latest news▼
-
11:08, April 25 Mpox epidemic declared in Republic of the Congo
-
08:31, April 25 OU: quitting smoking 4 times more likely to cure laryngeal cancer
-
01:20, April 25 Paralyzed man in China writes hieroglyphs using neural implants placed in his brain
-
15:11, April 24 Zombie deer disease possibly linked to hunters’ deaths
-
12:27, April 23 Appetite: Scientists found out the secret to the appeal of large portions of fast food
-
10:33, April 23 Scientists test new approach to fighting viruses
-
08:38, April 23 Ketamine may help with postpartum depression
-
22:12, April 22 Unhealthy amount of sugar found in baby food products of a well-known brand
-
19:41, April 22 Air pollution puts health of more than 1.6 billion workers globally at risk
-
17:25, April 22 Scientists found baked goods and lack of sleep to be more dangerous than alcohol
-
16:02, April 22 342 cases of measles recorded in Armenia so far in 2024
-
15:29, April 22 BrainStimulation: electrical brain stimulation alleviates anxiety and depression in the elderly
-
08:27, April 22 Cognitively stimulating jobs in midlife could lower dementia risk in old age, study finds
-
20:37, April 21 Environmental Health Perspectives: Microplastics ingested with food and water can spread from the gut to the brain
-
22:41, April 20 Scientists develop new method to safely stimulate immune cells to fight cancer
All materials
Cigarettes are even more toxic than we thought, study says
Tobacco companies may have been able to downplay the amount of tar and carbon monoxide ingested by smokers in Europe because of a flaw in the testing process, according to a study.
The loophole means most cigarette exceed legal limits on their harmful contents in the EU, according to the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health (RIVM).
Tiny holes in cigarette filters that allow air to mix with tobacco fumes are closed up when held in smokers’ fingers. However, the common method for testing tobacco products under European Union rules, called ISO, leaves these holes uncovered.
Levels of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide inhaled in normal conditions could be up to 20 times higher than indicated, according to RIVM, part of the Dutch ministry of health.
The results were obtained by testing 100 cigarette brands using the Canadian Intense testing method which covers over the holes in the filters. Under this system all but one of the brands tested exceed the legal limits with tar content between 2 and 26 times higher than using the European regime, nicotine between 2 and 17 times higher and carbon monoxide between 2 and 20 times higher.
“The results of this research support the conclusion that the prescribed ISO method underestimates the amounts of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide that a smoker ingests,” the RIVM wrote on its website. “The committee that drew up this method is largely influenced by the tobacco industry. RIVM therefore recommends that an independent measurement method … be included in the law.”
Follow NEWS.am Medicine on Facebook and Twitter
- Video
- Event calendar
- Archive
- Most read
month
week
day
- JAMA Oncology: Urine test can help rule out high-grade prostate cancer with almost 100% accuracy, study shows 1265
- Daily Mail: Elderly woman in China gets infected with brain-eating amoeba 1207
- Scientists grow human mini-lungs in lab 1153
- Next pandemic likely to be triggered by flu - scientists 911
- Scientists found baked goods and lack of sleep to be more dangerous than alcohol 822
- 342 cases of measles recorded in Armenia so far in 2024 779
- Scientists develop new method to safely stimulate immune cells to fight cancer 761
- Blood test can determine who is at risk of developing multiple sclerosis - scientists 758
- Cognitively stimulating jobs in midlife could lower dementia risk in old age, study finds 745
- BrainStimulation: electrical brain stimulation alleviates anxiety and depression in the elderly 688
- Unhealthy amount of sugar found in baby food products of a well-known brand 561
- Air pollution puts health of more than 1.6 billion workers globally at risk 556
- Ketamine may help with postpartum depression 543
- Appetite: Scientists found out the secret to the appeal of large portions of fast food 543
- Scientists test new approach to fighting viruses 521
- Find us on Facebook
- Poll