Health ministry publishes first harmful-component tests for 465 tobacco products

The health ministry on Thursday published the first product-by-product test results for harmful components in 465 tobacco products sold in South Korea, finding internationally classified carcinogens across every category, including liquid and heated e-cigarettes. The disclosure covers 256 cigarettes, 104 heated-tobacco sticks and 105 liquid e-cigarettes from 20 manufacturers and importers, tested for 46 components in all.

The results showed formaldehyde, benzene, NNK and other substances classified as Group 1 human carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in the emissions of every cigarette tested. Nicotine ranged from 0.8 to 2.6 milligrams per stick and tar from 11.7 to 40.4 milligrams, while formaldehyde ranged from 39.5 to 181 micrograms and benzene from 19.6 to 99.9 micrograms per stick. NNN and NNK were each detected in 255 of the 256 products, with cadmium found in all of them.

Heated-tobacco sticks also showed nicotine and tar in every product, at 0.1 to 1.2 milligrams and 10.3 to 32.0 milligrams per stick respectively, along with formaldehyde at 5.4 to 12.1 micrograms. NNN was found in 87 of the 104 products and NNK in 88. In the 105 liquid products, nicotine ranged from 5.7 to 20.0 milligrams per gram of liquid, and formaldehyde was detected in 99 of them, at 3.0 to 83.8 micrograms.

Until now, cigarette packaging carried only nicotine and tar levels and a notice that the product contains six carcinogenic substances, including nickel and cadmium. The new data set out which harmful substances are present and emitted, and how they damage health, the ministry said.

Officials cautioned against reading the numbers as a ranking. The testing applied a strengthened collection method recommended by the World Health Organization and newly registered with the International Organization for Standardization, which better reflects how people actually smoke, so readings may run higher than the nicotine and tar figures printed on packs. Liquid e-cigarettes were tested as liquid rather than as emissions, and measured per gram, so figures cannot be compared directly across product types.

"While the types and detected amounts of harmful components differ by tobacco type and product, the fact that some components were detected in smaller amounts should not be taken to mean a tobacco product is less harmful," the tobacco harm management policy committee said. "This inspection confirmed the harmful components present in tobacco products and should not be misunderstood as a standard for choosing a less harmful cigarette."

The ministry also warned that advertising or promotion that cites only selected results, or makes simple comparisons, in a way that misleads consumers into thinking a particular product is less harmful could be subject to legal restrictions, and said it would keep monitoring such claims. It noted that tobacco contains more than 7,000 chemicals and at least 70 carcinogens, and that risk depends on combined exposure, amount smoked, duration and inhalation habits rather than on any single figure.

The disclosure follows the Tobacco Harm Management Act, enacted on Oct. 31, 2023 and in force since Nov. 1, 2025, which created the basis for testing and publishing information on harmful components in line with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The ministry said synthetic-nicotine products, newly brought into the legal definition of tobacco, will be tested and disclosed from 2027. It also said menthol was confirmed as a major additive among those submitted by the industry, and that it will review the characteristics of additives that increase the appeal and addictiveness of tobacco products.

"This disclosure is the first step in transparently informing the public, on the basis of scientific test results, about the harmful components contained in tobacco products," food and drug safety minister Oh Yu-kyoung said. "We will continue to pursue policies for managing harmful tobacco components based on scientific evidence."