R. Polosa: Head of EU workgroup on the development of methods and laboratory tests

The Italian researcher, Riccardo Polosa, was elected almost unanimously for leading the European workgroup on the development of methods and laboratory tests for emissions from electronic cigarettes.

The second meeting of the technical committee CEN/TC 437 “Electronic cigarettes and e- liquids” was held in Brussels on January 29, 2016, at the CEN that is responsible for developing technical standards of quality and safety for the production and sale of electronic cigarettes in Europe, in accordance with the Directive 2014/40/EU, the so-called EU TPD.

The technical panel was constituted by the delegations of national standards bodies of 16 European countries, including UNI for Italy, represented by prof Riccardo Polosa (Head of Delegation – University of Catania) and Andrea Puglisi (Worldwide Product Regulatory Affair Manager ofJapan Tobacco International). The composition of the workgroups is varied and takes account of all relevant stakeholders including manufacturers of e-liquid, multinational tobacco companies, dealers’ associations, consumer associations, associations of producers, importers and distributors as well as the authority for the protection of public health.

 

The first important step towards the adoption of the European Directive on Tobacco by the Member States of the EU, was the approval of a joint action plan that includes:

1. The development and adoption of a common terminology for the harmonization of regulatory documents for standards of quality and safety;
2. The definition of priorities for working groups in charge of the development of the standards of production, safety and quality;
3. The approval of standards on labelling and information on the formulation of liquids;
4. The development of methods of laboratory tests for the qualitative and quantitative measurement of vapors emitted from electronic cigarettes.

Four separate workgroups have been created within the technical committee TC 437 and their respective Presidents subsequently elected.

The new chairman will therefore have to coordinate the work of fifty European experts for the development of toxicological tests for aerosol emissions by electronic cigarettes, and the definition of the relevant standards of quality and safety.

Source: LIAF