The World Health Organisation has launched new guidance on the laboratory testing of tobacco products as a tool in tobacco product regulation at the 17th World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Cape Town.

The new 55-page document ‘Tobacco product regulation: Building laboratory testing capacity’ provides options and recommendations to support member states to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in building laboratory capacity. The document includes recommendations on “developing a testing laboratory, using an existing internal laboratory, contracting an external laboratory, and making use of the support mechanisms available, including but not restricted to WHO TobLabNet.”
In 2004, the WHO Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulation published guidelines on tobacco product testing and increasing laboratory capacity to facilitate the implementation of WHO FCTC Articles 9 and 10. The organisation says progress has been made since 2004. “Therefore, it is appropriate to update the previous document and provide a practical guide for countries interested in developing or accessing tobacco product testing capacity to support their regulatory authority.”
The document can be accessed here.