Ireland: Very high nicotine levels not indicated on disposable e-cigarette packaging

The Health Service Executive's National Tobacco Control Office has submitted RAPEX alert notifications to Safety Gate (the European Union's rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products) after discovering that some Aroma King brand disposable e-cigarettes contained up to 50mg/ml (5%) of nicotine (the EU limit is 20mg/ml (2%)).[1]

The HSE is asking the public to stop using the affected products and to seek medical advice if they experience any side effects. The agency has also asked retailers to stop selling the products and to escalate the alert to their suppliers.

Very high nicotine levels not indicated on the packaging

A total of 46 disposable e-cigarettes of different ranges and flavours, from the Aroma King brand, were sampled and analysed by the HSE. They contained nicotine concentrations above the amount permitted by European legislation, set at 20mg/ml, with levels ranging up to 50.4mg/ml (5%). These e-cigarettes were sold in packaging that stated a nicotine concentration of 20mg/ml (2%).

These products, which have been very successful in recent months, are easy to access because they are not only on sale at retailers and specialty stores but also online and on social networks and can be shipped worldwide. In France, many brands are available online and can be purchased easily, even for a minor, you just have to indicate that you are an adult when the home page opens to be able to buy them.

A rapid risk of nicotine addiction

In addition to the very high nicotine levels, the very way in which these disposable electronic cigarettes are consumed facilitates nicotine addiction. Ready to use, they do not require any prior refilling or preparation and can be used without the user even realizing that they are consuming them. These products are also popular with adolescents and young adults, in whom nicotine addiction develops much more quickly without them even being aware of it.

Additionally, this type of device uses nicotine salts that make the products easier to use. According to a 2018 Surgeon General's opinion[2] on e-cigarette use among youth, nicotine salt technology allows users to inhale high levels of nicotine more easily and with less irritation than products that use freebase nicotine.

Keywords: Ireland, disposable e-cigarettes, puff, vaping, nicotine

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[1] Press release from the Irish Health Service Executive, HSE Environmental Health Service takes market surveillance action against certain disposable e-cigarettes, May 18, 2022, accessed May 20, 2022

[2] Office of the Surgeon General, Surgeon General's Advisory on E-Cigarette Use Among Youth, December 18, 2018, accessed May 20, 2022