Some so-called ‘nicotine-free’ vapes have same level of addictive substances as e-cigarettes, finds test

Some vaping devices sold across England and Wales that claim to be nicotine-free actually contain the same level of addictive substances as full-strength e-cigarettes, it has emerged. The revelations are contained in a test conducted by Inter Scientific, the data of which was shared with the British daily newspaper The Guardian. This comes as the UK government recently began its smoke-free drive despite concerns about an increasing number of teenagers using vaping devices.

What did Inter Scientific find?

The data by Inter Scientific shows that the illicit sale of oversized and overstrength vapes continues across the UK. Among those tested, the study also found that at least eight devices purporting to contain no addictive substances actually had almost 20 mg/ml of nicotine, which is the legal limit in the UK. One of them had levels higher than 50 per cent of the legal limit.

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“We have seen a large increase in the number of illegal vape products being seized by trading standards and sent for analysis. Though these products don’t pose an immediate health risk, they are circumventing UK regulation,” said the chief executive at Inter Scientific, David Lawson, as cited by The Guardian.

Out of the 52 vapes bought in England, 73 per cent were above the legal e-cigarette tank capacity of 2 ml, said the company which offers analytical testing of products and checks if they are following regulations, reported The Guardian. Over 40 per cent of those tested were filled with 5 ml of liquid or more.

Notably, none of the e-cigarettes Inter Scientific studied were listed in the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Without them being registered in the MRHA database, there is no record of any harm associated with them. This comes as vapes are required to display the manufacturer’s details as well as a list of ingredients and relevant health warnings.

UK government’s ‘swap to stop’ initiative

According to the latest report by Action on Smoking and Health (Ash), in 2022, seven per cent of the 11 to 17-year-olds,among those surveyed in the UKsaid they used vapes as compared to 3.3 per cent a year prior. This comes as the UK government launched an “illicit vapes enforcement squad” as part of a crackdown on the sale of e-cigarettes to people under the age of 18.

This week the government, under the “swap to stop” initiative also announced plans for one million smokers to swap cigarettes for vapes. Under this scheme e-cigarette starter kits will be offered to nearly one in five in England.

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