Proposal to Standardize the Function and Appearance of E-Cigarettes

According to a report by Vaping360 on May 31, the Dutch Ministry of Health's subordinate agency, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), has proposed standardizing the functionality and appearance of e-cigarettes. They believe that reducing the attractiveness and ease of use of e-cigarette products can help eliminate their use by young people.

The proposal, titled "Options for reducing the attractiveness of e-cigarettes through adjustments to their appearance and function," was detailed by the RIVM in April.

The document explains that the various existing e-cigarette products allow manufacturers to target different consumer groups based on their needs, experiences, and personal preferences. This also enables manufacturers to continue with new designs to attract a new generation of users. According to RIVM, features that make products "attractive" include "discreteness, aesthetics, technological characteristics, convenience and ease of use, modifiability, and nicotine delivery." RIVM states that these features are "seemingly common among youth and young people in the United States.

The RIVM speculates that people are less likely to use e-cigarettes that look unattractive. The RIVM points out that these consumer choices that encourage young people to use nicotine can be eliminated by regulating standardized designs.

There are various ways to standardize the design of e-cigarette devices, and more research is needed to determine which set of device characteristics can minimize the appeal of e-cigarettes to young people. By making them dark-colored or printing health warnings on them, the appeal of both tobacco and e-cigarette devices can be further reduced.

The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands (RIVM) stated that the standardized e-cigarette plan is in line with the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO "suggests prohibiting features that are attractive and/or promote, such as colors, regulating characteristics that allow users to manipulate the product, and limiting the impact of power on the delivery of nicotine and harmful substances.

The organization had created a list of permissible e-liquid ingredients, including known carcinogens, and forced the government to delay the flavor ban in its plan for a year.