{"id":33393,"date":"2026-01-27T10:20:51","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T10:20:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/?p=33393"},"modified":"2026-01-27T10:20:57","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T10:20:57","slug":"eu-commissioner-claims-smoke-free-products-do-not-reduce-health-risks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/post\/eu-commissioner-claims-smoke-free-products-do-not-reduce-health-risks\/","title":{"rendered":"EU commissioner claims smoke-free products do not reduce health risks"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The European Union\u2019s health commissioner has claimed that smoke-free nicotine products do not reduce health risks compared with cigarettes, contradicting evidence from multiple health authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The remarks were made in a response to a parliamentary question<\/a> from Danish MEP Kristoffer Storm on the role of alternative nicotine products in reducing smoking-related harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his reply, Health Commissioner Oliv\u00e9r V\u00e1rhelyi said: \u201cUsing smoke-free tobacco and nicotine products, as opposed to combustible smoking, is not reducing risk to health.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement has drawn criticism because it conflicts with assessments by major regulatory and research bodies which have found that smoke-free products expose users to substantially lower levels of toxic substances than cigarettes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commission position<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The European Commission has repeatedly argued that concerns about youth uptake, possible long-term health effects and the risk of progression to smoking justify a highly restrictive approach to smoke-free products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In previous interviews, V\u00e1rhelyi has pointed to rising levels of vaping and nicotine use among young people in the EU as a central factor in policy decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He has also confirmed that the Commission is preparing a major scientific assessment of alternative tobacco and nicotine products, due to be published in 2026, with the World Health Organisation playing a leading role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expert reaction<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Public health specialists have criticised the Commission\u2019s position, arguing that it disregards established scientific evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Delon Human, a physician, leader of Smoke Free Sweden and former secretary-general of the World Medical Association, said the commissioner\u2019s statement \u201ccontradicts a mountain of unimpeachable evidence\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Commission\u2019s position is a textbook case of science denial,\u201d he said. \u201cEven if well-intentioned, this statement may unintentionally increase smoking-related disease and mortality in Europe rather than reduce it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added: \u201cCombustion is what causes cancer, heart disease and lung disease. To suggest that inhaling smoke and not inhaling smoke carry the same risk is scientific nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contradictory scientific evidence<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

V\u00e1rhelyi\u2019s position contrasts with findings from several international health authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorised certain vaping products for sale on the grounds that they may benefit adult smokers who switch completely from cigarettes. Systematic reviews by Cochrane<\/a> have found that vapes can help people quit smoking and involve lower exposure to harmful chemicals than combustible tobacco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public health agencies in countries including the UK, New Zealand and Japan have reached similar conclusions, while emphasising that smoke-free products are not risk-free and should not be used by non-smokers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These assessments consistently identify the combustion of tobacco as the primary source of cancer-causing<\/a> and cardiovascular toxins in cigarette smoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Evidence from Sweden<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Population-level data from Sweden is frequently cited in debates over tobacco harm reduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sweden has the lowest smoking rate<\/a> in the European Union, at around five per cent of adults, and among the lowest levels of tobacco-related mortality. Many researchers have linked these outcomes to widespread use of smoke-free products such as snus and nicotine pouches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite comparable levels of overall nicotine use to other EU countries, Sweden has recorded long-term declines in cigarette smoking and smoking-related disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The country\u2019s experience is often cited as evidence that high uptake of non-combustible nicotine products can co-exist with low smoking prevalence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Previous statements and coverage<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

V\u00e1rhelyi\u2019s latest remarks follow a series of earlier controversial statements on nicotine and tobacco harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In December 2025, he told Euractiv that vapes, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches were \u201cone hundred per cent\u201d as harmful as cigarettes.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In October 2025, he came under criticism after posting – and later editing – a claim that nicotine causes cancer<\/a>, despite scientific assessments by Cancer Research UK and the European Commission concluding that nicotine is not carcinogenic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Policy implications<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

More than 90 million adults in the EU continue to use tobacco, making smoking one of the bloc\u2019s leading causes of preventable illness and death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public health researchers have warned that treating all nicotine products as equally harmful risks discouraging smokers from switching away from combustible cigarettes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Commission has justified its approach by pointing to youth use and addiction risks, while critics say this has sidelined evidence on harm reduction for adult smokers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The findings of the Commission\u2019s 2026 review are expected to determine whether EU policy continues to treat smoke-free products in the same way as cigarettes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n

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