'Clean up cigarettes'

Cigarettes are full of additives

The government has called on tobacco companies to reduce the number of cancer-causing chemicals produced by cigarettes.

Public health minister Yvette Cooper urged the industry to agree to cut down on potentially harmful chemicals added to cigarettes.

She warned that if the industry did not respond then it risked having products withdrawn from sale.

The tobacco industry is already taking part in a 10-year voluntary agreement, begun in 1997, to tell the government what additives are used in cigarettes.

Ms Cooper said: "120,000 people die from smoking every year.

Yvette Cooper

"The government is already providing support for smokers who want to give up but we also want to see the industry do more to cut potentially harmful additives and carcinogens from cigarettes too.

"People have the right to smoke but most people are unaware of the huge number of additives and carcinogens in cigarettes as well as nicotine.

"People are entitled to that information and to know that action is being taken to reduce the most dangerous constituents of cigarettes."

40 chemicals

A Department of Health spokeswoman said that out of the 400 constituents of tobacco smoke 40 were cancer-causing chemicals.

She added: "At the moment there is technology for the industry to reduce significantly or remove carcinogens.

"What Yvette Cooper is saying is she want's the tobacco industry to completely remove or reduce alot of these carcinogens."

The cigarette is like a dirty syringe for taking the drug nicotine

Sir Paul Nurse

The spokeswoman said the minister could enforce her decision under the Consumer Protection Act which provides a wide range of powers to regulate consumer products to make them safer.

A spokeswoman for Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) said an EU directive, due to come into effect in September 2002, would increase the size of health warnings on cigarette packets and reduce the level of tar in cigarettes.

She said: "It's good the government is keeping the pressure up on the industry."

Cancer charity

The government¿s ultimatum was also backed by experts at Imperial Cancer Research Fund today. Sir Paul Nurse, Director General of Imperial Cancer Research Fund, said: "The cigarette is like a dirty syringe for taking the drug nicotine, with over 600 additives permitted.

"The tobacco companies have known how to make smoking safer for at least 25 years, but have consistently failed to do so.

"The current products cause premature death for half of all long-term smokers, so even a small improvement could save thousands of lives."

Sir Paul called for legislation to force tobaco companies' hands.

He said: "The current system to regulate additives under voluntary agreements has been in force since 1997, but it clearly doesn¿t work.

"It¿s vital that the government forces tobacco companies by law to reduce the known toxins in cigarettes and to develop less hazardous products."