According to China e-cigarette news, Europe has finalized a new anti-tobacco law that, for the first time, places e-cigarettes under strict regulation. On February 26, 2014, the European Parliament approved the law, including a ban on cigarette packs cont
According to news from Chinese e-cigarette sources: Europe has finalized a new anti-tobacco law that brings e-cigarettes under strict regulation for the first time. The European Parliament finalized the anti-tobacco law on February 26, 2014, which includes a ban on the sale of small packs containing fewer than 20 cigarettes and categorizes e-cigarettes, regardless of their therapeutic or preventive effects, as pharmaceutical products for unified regulation.
According to the unofficial voting results from the European Parliament's health department, the resolution received 514 votes in favor, 66 against, and 58 abstentions. The previous anti-tobacco law required all cigarette packaging to display health warnings on both sides, covering more than 65% of the packaging area. The current regulations have been amended to require health warnings to cover at least 30% of the front packaging and 40% of the back packaging.
"E-cigarettes" will be classified as pharmaceutical products and strictly regulated, only allowing the sale of e-cigarettes with therapeutic or preventive purposes, and proof of their use as smoking cessation aids or alternatives will be required for purchase. Additionally, this law mandates that such e-cigarettes must ensure safety and harmlessness to children and cannot be used by them. Similar to cigarettes, e-cigarettes will also be subject to the same packaging regulations, requiring health warnings, and each e-cigarette product's nicotine content must not exceed 20mg.
Meanwhile, the European E-Cigarette Association (ANCE) expressed agreement with the provisions of this law regarding these cigarettes with medium to long-term dependence on February 26, 2014. Manuel Munoz, president of the European E-Cigarette Association, stated: "Although the new law requires e-cigarettes to be kept as far away from the market as possible, we still need to evaluate it positively, as it is the result of complex, difficult, and intense negotiations among various European organizations and 28 member states."
The Spanish Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Organization believes that current research on the health impacts of e-cigarettes is still insufficient, thus necessitating a "stricter" legislative framework for regulation and continuous promotion of scientific research in this area to quickly clarify the health impacts of e-cigarettes.
Dr. Salano, head of the smoking hazards medical group of the Spanish Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Organization, stated: "The market share of e-cigarettes is rapidly increasing, which reminds me of the history of cigarette development; no one expected it would evolve into such a frightening result today."
Therefore, to understand whether the development of e-cigarettes will repeat the tragic history of cigarette development, scientific research must quickly clarify what reactions occur when the components of e-cigarettes enter the trachea and human body, as these e-cigarettes also directly introduce evaporated chemical substances into the lungs.
He believes that research should also include analyzing the components of e-liquid and the vapor produced after heating.
Dr. Salano also pointed out: "Although the pollution from e-cigarettes is less than that from traditional cigarettes, it still causes some pollution. It does not simply emit harmless water vapor; those inhaling secondhand vapor from e-cigarettes will also absorb nicotine or other components, albeit possibly less harmful than traditional secondhand smoke."
Dr. Carlos Jimenez, director of the smoking hazards research project of the Spanish Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Organization, pointed out that known heavy metals in secondhand smoke, such as lead, chromium, and nickel, are all carcinogenic substances.
He said: "Research has found that the concentration of nickel particles in secondhand vapor from e-cigarettes is higher than that detected in conventional cigarette smoke. These nickel particles in this new type of secondhand vapor are very small in diameter, allowing them to enter the human body directly through respiration."
