LIZ LYNNE TO HOST DEBATE ON RISKS OF SMOKELESS TOBACCO

11.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 4th Oct 2007

Liz Lynne MEP (UK) and Adamos Adamou MEP (Cyprus) will next week host a meeting of the European's Parliament's MEP's Against Cancer Intergroup to investigate and take evidence from experts on the risks of smokeless tobacco.

The meeting comes as the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) evaluates the health effects of smokeless tobacco products such as 'snus', which is sold in small pouches and placed under the upper lip.

Under the EC Tobacco Products Directive (2001/37/EC) the marketing of oral tobacco is banned in all EU-countries except Sweden, where it is widely used.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Liz Lynne MEP said;

"I am looking forward to an honest assessment of the risks of smokeless tobacco products from some of the leading experts in the field, but also to a lively debate about whether snus should be available as part of a harm reduction strategy.

"Lung cancer mortality rates in Sweden have plummeted as individuals switch to smokeless tobacco, but what other risks are users exposed to? I hope this seminar will go some way to establish this."

Note to editors

Liz Lynne MEP is founder and co-chair of the European Parliament's MEP's Against Cancer group. For further information on the European Commission's investigation into smokeless tobacco please see:

http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_risk/committees/04_scenihr/docs/scenihr_o_009.pdf