Tobacco Testing

Tobacco Testing

In most countries across the world tobacco use is synonymous to cigarette smoking. In contrast, tobacco use in India is in multiple forms. Broadly there are two types of tobacco products that are commonly used: smoking tobacco and smokeless tobacco. Smoking tobacco products include bidis, manufactured cigarettes, hand-rolled cigarettes, pipes, cigars, hookah, water-pipes and some other smoking tobacco products like chuttas, dhumtiand chillum. Smokeless tobacco is used by either chewing or , applying to the teeth and gums, or inhaling. Smokeless tobacco products used in India include chewing tobacco items such as betel quid with tobacco, khaini, gutka, paan masala with tobacco. Smokeless tobacco products such as mishri, gul, bajjar, gudakhu, etc. are applied to the teeth and gums, and the snuff is inhaled.

Among others Eestablishing National Tobacco Testing laboratories (NTTLs) is one of the key deliverables of the NTCP.In pursuance of this the following three existinglaboratories of the Government of India have been identified whose capacity has been augmented to undertake testing of tobacco products, as enshrined in the COTPA: NTTLs are being established in India:

1. The Director, National Tobacco Testing Laboratory,
   Central Drugs Testing Laboratory,
   Directorate General of Health Services,
   Zonal FDA Bhawan, Bellasis Road,
   GMSD Compound, Mumbai Central,
   Mumbai - 400008.


2. The Director, National Tobacco Testing Laboratory,
   Regional Drugs Testing Laboratory,
   Directorate General of Health Services,
   Six Mile, Guwahati-781022
   Assam.


3. The Director, National Tobacco Testing Laboratory,
   National Institute of Cancer Prevention & Research (NICPR),
   Plot No. 1-7, Sector-39,
   Noida-201301, Uttar Pradesh.

The NTTL at NICPR, Noida has been envisioned as the Apex Laboratory with certain additional mandates .

Operational Guidelines for National Tobacco Testing Laboratories (NTTL) released View

GSR 633 (E) dated 5th September, 2019 - Notification of National Tobacco Testing Laboratories View

SO 3134 (E) dated 29th August 2019 - Notification of Section 11 of COTPA View