Illegal vapes worth £41,000 seized in North East Lincolnshire
Illegal vapes worth GBP41,000 have been seized in Grimsby. Trading standards officers have confiscated more than 8,000 from local businesses in the last 18 months – with half a tonne sent for recycling. The products were seized as part of Operation Joseph, a national initiative to deal with the illegal vape market[1].
By law, vapes should have an internal tank capacity of no more than 2ml, and the level of nicotine contained in the vaping fluid should not exceed 20mg/ml (or 2 per cent). As with tobacco products, the items are required to display certain health warnings. Every device, and the liquid it contains, should be registered with the MHRA (Medicines and Health care products Regulatory Agency) prior to being released onto the market.
Councillor Ron Shepherd, portfolio holder for safer and stronger communities at North East Lincolnshire Council[4], said: “People who buy illicit vapes are probably not aware of the consequences of their actions. The money you hand over ultimately ends up in the pockets of criminals. “These illegal products are being sold on the cheap and marked to attract children, therefore contributing to young people becoming addicted to nicotine.
These products do not meet safety standards and are now known to have an impact on the health[5] of children. “It is well known that they cause damage to the environment with millions being recklessly discarded every year. There are many examples nationally of these illegal devices spontaneously combusting, with two examples reported to Trading Standards in Grimsby in the last twelve months.
“When you buy these products, you could be putting your own health at risk. Not only has no duty been paid on them but they’ve not been tested to ensure they’re safe.” He added: “It is important that people know what to look for on the packaging of these devices.
Genuine, legal devices can be easily recognised as they must display a warning across one third of both the front and back of the packaging stating “This product contains nicotine which is a highly addictive substance “It is important to remember that whilst legitimate disposable vaping bars can be a very useful aid to smokers who are wanting to quit, they still have potential health issues as a result of use, and should never be purchased and used by non-smokers.”
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References
- ^ illegal vape market (www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ A night with Humberside Police as they target Christmas drink drivers (www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Mum-of-two who was left paralysed after crash tragically died of sepsis (www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ North East Lincolnshire Council (www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ on the health (www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ click the link (tinyurl.com)
- ^ Privacy Notice (bit.ly)