Pouches of nicotine, tobacco or cigarette flavoring beads are causing more and more poisoning, especially among children and adolescents, warns the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Health Safety (ANSES) in a toxicovigilance report published on Thursday, November 30th . The French public body demands “Special vigilance” on nicotine pouches.
Nowadays it’s not just about offering tobacco products that – without tobacco, but with nicotine – or flavors for tobacco products “further diversified”But “Older, even banned products are also consumed: chewing tobacco and snus [tabac en sachet à usage oral] »states the health department.
A report on connections to poison control centers between early 2017 and late 2022 for these five products found that the number of calls increased “has continued to rise since 2020” for nicotine pouches, snus and aromatic pearls, according to ANSES. “Children and young people are the main victims”states the agency.
In the case of nicotine or snus pouches, poisoning, sometimes with severe syndromes (persistent vomiting with the risk of dehydration, cramps, etc.), after consumption mainly affects young people between the ages of 12 and 17. “intentionally”.
New tobacco-free nicotine pouches contain nicotine-impregnated polymer fibers in a permeable fabric that slide between the lip and gums. Despite a similar presentation, they differ from snus, which is banned in Europe except Sweden. Given a number of cases “Probably underestimated” and an advertisement “important for social networks aimed at young people”judged Anses “There is an urgent need to raise awareness of the risks among the education community, health professionals and those around young people.”immediate but also nicotine addiction.
Aggressive marketing to young people
Call for “Alertness” on nicotine pouches “made very attractive for young people”urged study coordinator Cécilia Solal “a regulatory framework for these products”so far without “clear status” neither “no control”. Children were also poisoned by accidentally chewing or heating tobacco – generally not serious, but about ten ended up in hospital.
ANSES also reports “A New Source of Domestic Accidents with Aromatic Pearls” for insertion into the cigarette filter, created as a distraction from the aroma ban for cigarettes or hand-rolling tobacco.
Calls to poison control centers regarding these products rose from three in 2020 to 86 in 2022, with three-quarters of the cases involving children under three. It was “Always accidental ingestion”, also concerning adults who mistook these marbles for candy or sucked in a poorly inserted marble. As “The packaging of these products features colorful fruit motifs and does not have a safety closure.”Anses argues for a less attractive presentation.
