EU report finds smoking kills 650,000 annually

SMOKING kills 650,000 people in Europe every year, with many dying 22 years before the average mortality rate, according to an EU report on tobacco.

But the tobacco companies refuse to reveal what addictive and other additives they put in to cigarettes, saying they are trade secrets.

The report, released by Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection David Byrne in Brussels yesterday, says companies must be forced to reveal all the ingredients and have them tested for toxicity.