170 countries agree to control use of tobacco additives

More than 170 countries unanimously agreed at a World Health Organization conference that ended Saturday to strengthen controls on the use of menthol and other types of additives in tobacco products.

It is the first time the signatories of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control have discussed regulations on tobacco additives, which critics say can make cigarettes more attractive to consumers, and as a result increase the damage to health.

The agreement to reinforce regulations to ban or limit their use is not legally binding. But Japan, which is the largest donor to the budget for the global tobacco treaty secretariat, is likely to face pressure to proactively take measures in line with the accord.

The treaty’s 172 signatories reached the agreement at the fourth session of the Conference of the Parties held Nov. 15 to 20 in Punta del Este, Uruguay.

According to sources close to the conference, subject to the regulations includes ink and pigments in the papers used to wrap tobacco and additives used to sweeten tobacco products.

The signatories also agreed to promote anti-smoking education and reinforce steps aimed at decreasing the demand for cigarettes.

Regulations on electronic cigarettes were also discussed but conference participants failed to reach a consensus. Some countries were opposed to including products that do not use tobacco leaves in the tobacco control.

The issue will be discussed again at the next Conference of the Parties to be held in South Korea in the latter half of 2012, the sources said.

The WHO estimates that some 5.4 million people die every year from the health damage from tobacco. If no measures are taken to curb smoking, the death toll could rise to more than 8 million in 2030, according to the public health arm of the United Nations.