煙草在線據(jù)韓國聯(lián)合新聞社報道編譯 10月17日,一份報告顯示,韓國煙草制造商制造的卷煙可能含有使人們對這些卷煙上癮更快、更嚴重的物質(zhì),顯示未來對煙草公司提起的損害賠償?shù)牟呗钥赡馨l(fā)生改變。
到目前為止,針對韓國煙草制造商已經(jīng)提起了三宗損害賠償訴訟,但沒有一宗訴訟作出有利顧客或原告的裁決。不過,煙草制造商的官司連續(xù)取勝,顯然可能有部分原因在于法院允許煙草公司只披露它們希望披露的信息,省略非常有可能是最初引起損害賠償訴訟的重要信息。
韓國大多數(shù)卷煙都是由國有的KT&G公司制造和經(jīng)銷的。
不過,韓國衛(wèi)生與社會事務(wù)研究院發(fā)布的一份報告顯示了什么可能是煙草公司如此費盡心思努力隱藏的信息。
據(jù)這份報告說,根據(jù)外國煙草公司開展的各種測試,每支韓國卷煙含有0.03%至0.11%的氨。報告說,這種氨有助于增加煙草的致癮特性。
報告說,證實韓國卷煙中氨的存在的測試,是美國第三大卷煙制造商布朗·威廉姆森公司在2000年進行的。
這份報告由加利福尼亞大學煙草控制研究與教育中心的研究員Lee Sung-kyu和另外兩名研究員一起聯(lián)合編寫的。
他們在研究報告中說:“正如研究中所顯示出的那樣,KT&G公司的產(chǎn)品可能含有氨和其他有害物質(zhì),因此,在對今后的訴訟案進行裁決之前,法院必須開展一次徹底、客觀的獨立測試,以證實該公司的產(chǎn)品的成分。”
Report Shows Reasons S. Korean Cigarettes May be More Addictive
Cigarettes produced by South Korean manufacturers may contain substances that make people become addicted to them more and faster, a report showed Wednesday, suggesting a possible change of tactics in future damage suits against tobacco companies.
So far there have been three damage suits filed against South Korea's tobacco manufacturers, but none were ruled in favor of the customers or plaintiffs.
The tobacco makers' winning streak, however, had apparently been possible partly because of the court's allowance for the companies to disclose only the information they wish to, omitting vital information that may very well be the cause of a damage suit in the first place.
Most of South Korean cigarettes are produced and distributed by the state-run KT&G Corp.
However, a report, released Wednesday by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, showed what may be the information the tobacco companies have worked so hard to conceal.
According to the report, based on various tests conducted by foreign tobacco companies, each South Korean cigarette contained between 0.03 to 0.11 percent ammonia, which it said helps boost tobacco's addictive nature.
The test that verified the existence of ammonia in South Korean cigarettes was conducted in 2000 by the United States' third-largest cigarette manufacturer, Brown & Williamson, the report said.
The report was compiled jointly by Lee Sung-kyu, a fellow researcher at the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education of the University of California, San Francisco, and two others.
"As suggested by the research, KT&G's products likely contain ammonia and other harmful substances, and, therefore, the court must conduct a thorough, objective and independent test to verify the contents of the company's products before ruling (in future cases)," they said in their report. Enditem