WASHINGTON - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is tackling the safety and risks of dissolvable, smokeless tobacco products, including strips and lozenges, HealthDay News reports.

Tobacco firms have been testing dissolvables in recent years. Star Scientific has marketed Ariva and Stonewall dissolvable tobacco products, while R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. is testing Camel Sticks, Camel Strips and Camel Orbs in two locations.

The rise of dissolvable tobacco products has health experts up in arms. "If you wanted to design a product that would appeal to youth and addict younger adolescents and adults to nicotine, this would be it," said Dr. Jonathan Winickoff, a pediatrician at Massachusetts General Hospital. "These products are designed to look like a candy and addict the user permanently."

R.J. Reynolds has put in place security measures, including childproof packaging, to ensure safe usage of their dissolvable products by adults. "The bottom line: Tobacco products, along with many other types of goods, need to be kept out of the hands of children," the company stated.

Now the FDA will take into account testimony from health advocates and tobacco firms as it reviews smokeless tobacco products regulations this week in Washington, D.C. Last year, the Colorado Board of Health had asked the agency to classify dissolvables as tobacco. The FDA will submit its report on dissolvables in March.