South Korea released its first product-level harmful-ingredient test results for 465 tobacco products on Oct. 29, covering 256 conventional cigarettes, 104 heated-tobacco products, and 105 liquid e-cigarettes. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety found formaldehyde, classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, in all 256 cigarette products, all 104 heated-tobacco products, and 99 of the 105 e-liquids tested. The tests covered 44 ingredients in cigarettes and heated-tobacco products and 20 in e-liquids, including nicotine, tar, and other potentially harmful substances.
The government said it plans to develop testing methods to measure emissions generated during e-cigarette use, rather than testing liquids alone, and to begin testing and disclosing results for synthetic-nicotine products in 2027. The initial testing covered tobacco-derived nicotine products. Results for e-liquids reflect the contents of the liquids themselves and do not establish users’ exposure during inhalation or allow direct comparisons of health risks between product categories.
