The Dutch government only wants to allow 23 e-cigarette flavourings with a tobacco-taste. RIVM examined whether these 23 flavourings are harmful to people’s health.

The number of people with tuberculosis (TB) in the Netherlands increased slightly in 2021, reaching 680. This figure is 9% higher than it was in 2020 (622 patients).

The Committee for Practical Tuberculosis Control (CPT) will be transferred per 1 January 2022 to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) after a period of 70 years with KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation. 

The awareness and use of cigarillos, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches is relatively low. This is apparent from research by RIVM among Dutch people aged 13 and older, commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport.

The government wishes to make e-cigarettes less attractive, in particular for young people.

Even when menthol cannot be tasted, the substance makes it easier to inhale tobacco smoke. This way, menthol makes smoking more attractive for young and novice smokers who are not yet used to inhaling sharp, pungent tobacco smoke.

Last year, the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in the Netherlands fell sharply. The 17% drop is the largest in fifty years. In 2020, 623 cases were notified compared to 754 in 2019.

In 2019, the number of people with tuberculosis (TB) in the Netherlands decreased to 759. This is 5 per cent less than in 2018, when 797 were reported.

RIVM and Maastricht University have identified a combination of factors that can be used to distinguish between exclusive e-cigarette users (vapers) on the one hand and people who smoke both regula