Sat 24 June 2023:
According to published statistics, the government has confiscated millions of dangerous and illegal vapes over the last three years, but experts warn that this is just the “tip of the iceberg” and that a “tsunami” of these items is actually pouring into the UK markets.
According to records received by 125 local administrations, authorities have seized more than 2.5 million illegal e-cigarettes since the year 2020 began. The data showed that Hillingdon Borough Council’s trading standards had seized 1,352,063 in west London.
The e-cigarettes are not in compliance with the legal regulations of the UK and can have high levels of nicotine concentration, contain banned ingredients or carry the chance of having oversized tanks for nicotine liquid. In the previous analysis, it was found that illicit vapes contain high levels of lead, nickel and chromium.
“Tip of the iceberg”
Chartered Trading Standards Institute lead officer Kate Pike said that the figures appearing from the reports are just the “tip of the iceberg” with respect to the number of non-compliant vapes which are being sold in UK shops.
“I get calls from colleagues at the port almost every day – it feels like there is a tsunami. They are mainly coming from China,” she stated.
“We don’t need sniffer dogs to find these products as they are all on shelves in high-street shops, in full view of the public,” Pike stated.
“There is a significant number of illegal products on the market, which does not help when we are trying to support the public health response, which is to ensure the products are much safer than tobacco for smokers looking to quit,” the officer added.
Earlier this month, NHS leaders sounded the alarm over a rise in the number of children admitted to hospital for vaping.
The NHS said 40 children and young people were admitted to hospital in England last year due to “vaping-related disorders”, up from 11 two years before.
Paediatricians have also warned that “youth vaping is fast becoming an epidemic among children” as they called on the British government to ban disposable vapes.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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