Clipping Board » Illness Enters through Mouth ─ The information that has been made public is often just the tip of the iceberg...
2010-03-12 China Times
Zhang Cuifen / Taipei Report
Tobacco companies recently launched "oral tobacco tablets" in Taiwan, claiming them to be "harm-reduced" tobacco products. However, the John Tung Foundation strongly criticized this on the 11th, stating that even smokeless tobacco contains at least 30 carcinogens. The tobacco companies are clearly violating the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, and the government should penalize them for illegal promotional activities. The Health Promotion Administration (HPA) under the Ministry of Health and Welfare stated that the Keelung City Health Bureau has been tasked to investigate and will summon the tobacco companies for severe penalties under the law.
Yao Siyuan, CEO of the John Tung Foundation, pointed out that although so-called "smokeless tobacco" products are not burned, their harmful substances are directly absorbed through the oral mucosa, making them even more likely to cause oral cancer.
**Direct Absorption Through Oral Mucosa Increases Risk of Oral Cancer**
According to a report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) under the World Health Organization, smokeless tobacco products contain at least 30 carcinogens. Surveys in the U.S. and Asia have found that users of oral or nasal smokeless tobacco products face a 2.6 times higher risk of oral cancer compared to non-smokers, and a 1.6 times higher risk of pancreatic and esophageal cancers. In other words, both "smoking" and "smokeless" tobacco products carry high carcinogenic risks.
Yao Siyuan emphasized that the tobacco company’s claim of their product being a "harm-reduced" tobacco item, packaged in a mint-like container appealing to young people, clearly violates Article 9, Paragraph 1 of the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act. Violators can be fined between NT$5 million and NT$25 million.
**Mint-Like Packaging Already Illegal—Tobacco Companies to Be Summoned**
Dr. Xue Guangjie from the Family Medicine Department of Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital stated that whether tobacco products are smoked or smokeless, there is no such thing as a "safe tobacco product." Science has confirmed that "smokeless tobacco" also leads to oral and gastrointestinal cancers. The only way to eliminate health risks is to "quit smoking" and avoid all tobacco products.
Regarding the tobacco companies' promotional activities, Zhao Kunyu, Deputy Director of the HPA, stated that after an initial investigation by the Keelung City Health Bureau, it was confirmed that the tobacco companies violated the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act. The companies will be summoned, and an administrative penalty notice will be issued. Illegal tobacco advertisements can be fined between NT$5 million and NT$25 million, while violations in packaging can incur fines ranging from NT$10,000 to NT$50,000, with penalties applied repeatedly for continued violations.
Source: http:/ / life. chinatimes. com/ 2……0302+112010031200052,00. html
Smokeless Tobacco Contains Carcinogens, Increases Cancer Risk
Zhang Cuifen / Taipei Report
Tobacco companies recently launched "oral tobacco tablets" in Taiwan, claiming them to be "harm-reduced" tobacco products. However, the John Tung Foundation strongly criticized this on the 11th, stating that even smokeless tobacco contains at least 30 carcinogens. The tobacco companies are clearly violating the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, and the government should penalize them for illegal promotional activities. The Health Promotion Administration (HPA) under the Ministry of Health and Welfare stated that the Keelung City Health Bureau has been tasked to investigate and will summon the tobacco companies for severe penalties under the law.
Yao Siyuan, CEO of the John Tung Foundation, pointed out that although so-called "smokeless tobacco" products are not burned, their harmful substances are directly absorbed through the oral mucosa, making them even more likely to cause oral cancer.
**Direct Absorption Through Oral Mucosa Increases Risk of Oral Cancer**
According to a report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) under the World Health Organization, smokeless tobacco products contain at least 30 carcinogens. Surveys in the U.S. and Asia have found that users of oral or nasal smokeless tobacco products face a 2.6 times higher risk of oral cancer compared to non-smokers, and a 1.6 times higher risk of pancreatic and esophageal cancers. In other words, both "smoking" and "smokeless" tobacco products carry high carcinogenic risks.
Yao Siyuan emphasized that the tobacco company’s claim of their product being a "harm-reduced" tobacco item, packaged in a mint-like container appealing to young people, clearly violates Article 9, Paragraph 1 of the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act. Violators can be fined between NT$5 million and NT$25 million.
**Mint-Like Packaging Already Illegal—Tobacco Companies to Be Summoned**
Dr. Xue Guangjie from the Family Medicine Department of Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital stated that whether tobacco products are smoked or smokeless, there is no such thing as a "safe tobacco product." Science has confirmed that "smokeless tobacco" also leads to oral and gastrointestinal cancers. The only way to eliminate health risks is to "quit smoking" and avoid all tobacco products.
Regarding the tobacco companies' promotional activities, Zhao Kunyu, Deputy Director of the HPA, stated that after an initial investigation by the Keelung City Health Bureau, it was confirmed that the tobacco companies violated the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act. The companies will be summoned, and an administrative penalty notice will be issued. Illegal tobacco advertisements can be fined between NT$5 million and NT$25 million, while violations in packaging can incur fines ranging from NT$10,000 to NT$50,000, with penalties applied repeatedly for continued violations.
Source: http:/ / life. chinatimes. com/ 2……0302+112010031200052,00. html