Dutch Anti-Smoking Activists Demand Removal of Cigarettes from Shelves

According to a report from Dutch News, anti-smoking activists are demanding that all cigarettes be removed from store shelves in the Netherlands following a court ruling on emission levels.

On November 4th, a judge in Rotterdam stated that there is "strong evidence" to suggest that filter-tipped cigarettes sold in the Netherlands may be in violation of European Union restrictions on tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide.

This ruling grants the Dutch Food and Product Safety Authority (NVWA) six weeks to ensure that laws are properly enforced and cigarettes do not exceed EU limits.

Tests conducted by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) in 2018 showed that the tar content in cigarettes could be up to 26 times higher than the official standard, and that the levels of nicotine and carbon monoxide in most brands were also excessively high.

During the test, RIVM covered the ventilation hole on the filter paper. Experts have stated that this method more accurately mimics the way consumers smoke, as compared to the traditional method which does not cover the ventilation hole.

The Rotterdam Court stated that it cannot guarantee compliance with the directive on filter tip cigarettes sold in the Netherlands until the European Commission proposes a measurement method that accurately reflects the amount of emissions inhaled by smokers.

Wanda de Kanter, from anti-youth smoking organization Stichting Rookprevenie Jeugd, says that the ruling effectively puts an end to the fraudulent measurements of tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide emissions. She stated that "this has allowed the tobacco industry to addict people for years, but this ruling shows that this practice cannot continue.

The NVWA must immediately remove all cigarettes from the shelves.

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