Tobacco Companies Required To Report Levels Of Dozens Of Chemicals

The Food & Drug Administration says there are more than 7,000 chemicals in tobacco and tobacco smoke. And now the FDA says consumers have a right to know about the levels of 93 harmful or potentially harmful chemicals that are in the products they smoke and/or chew.

But since tobacco companies may not be set up to test for all of these 93 chemicals — see full list, along with reasons they are considered yucky, here — the FDA is focusing on getting immediate results for 20 chemicals with recognizable names like ammonia, arsenic, cadmium, and formaldehyde (see the lists of these chemicals here).

“Today’s actions represent critical steps forward on providing Americans with the facts about the dangers of tobacco use and to stop children from smoking,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

The FDA says it intends to make information about these chemicals available in “consumer-friendly” form by April 2013.

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