Articles 9 and 10 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) are designed to make public certain facts regarding the addictive and harmful nature of the ingredients and additives in tobacco products and the emissions released through burning of such products. They also regulate that producers of tobacco products should inform government authorities of data concerning the ingredients in such products including any known toxic substances as well as any materials that are released through combustion. This means that tobacco producers are obligated to conduct all necessary testing and evaluation to obtain this data so that government agencies can be adequately informed and able to act to minimize the harmful effects of tobacco products on the public.
On July 11, 2007, the ROC (Taiwan) president announced changes in Article 8 of the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, which calls for that manufacturers and importers of tobacco products shall disclose and report certain information. It also directs the competent authorities at the central government level to carry out regular open inspections of producers and distributors and regulates how they should be conducted. Following consultation of standards set forth in examples of legislative work, including the WHO FCTC and the recommendations of WHO Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulation (TobReg), as well as EU Directive 2001/37/EC on “the Manufacture Presentation and Sale of Tobacco Products” and 2007 European Commission “Reporting on tobacco product ingredients PRACTICAL GUIDE”, the UK's “Tobacco Products (Manufacture, Presentation, and Sale) (Safety) Regulations” 2002, the Canadian’s “Tobacco Reporting Regulations” and other relevant laws together with data gathered here in Republic of China (Taiwan) to determine how information is to be obtained locally. The relevant laws should also be used to help ensure that the public is aware of the toxicities inherent in smoking tobacco, which is why this web page containing information on the contents of tobacco products has been set up.