The Department of Health is "definitely considering" placing images of rotting lungs on cigarette packages from next year, in line with an EU recommendation issued today.
From next month, cigarettes sold in the EU must show even larger health warnings than now, and from mid-2004 member states will have the option of adding pictures to the packs showing the hazards of smoking, the European Commission said today.
The Government is not compelled to place the images on cigarette packs, but a spokesman for the Department of Health confirmed to ireland.comthe Minister for Health, Mr Martin, would be investigating the new option.
"No final decision has been made yet, but the Minister is quite strong on the smoking issue and this is something that will definitely be considered," he said.
No date has yet been confirmed for a full decision on the issue.
Earlier, the European Commission announced a tender for organisations to come up with images and test their impact on different European audiences.
"Research and experience in countries which have introduced health warnings illustrated with colour pictures have proven that they speak more than a thousand words," Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner Mr David Byrne said in a statement.
Brazil and Canada compel tobacco companies to print pictures of premature babies and brain haemorrhages on their products.
Commission health spokesman Mr Thorsten Muench said Europe would follow their lead but there would also be a lighter touch.
"We will have rotten lungs and we will also have more humorous images. It's not just dead bodies lying around," he said at a news conference.
For each of the current 14 health warnings, there will be a choice of five or six pictures so that member states can choose the ones that best fit local tastes.
"There will be research into how every image works in every country," Mr Muench said. He accepted the images might not put off hard-core smokers but said he hoped they would stop people starting smoking.
additional reporting Reuters