Supermarkets strip vape device from stores after it was found to be 50 per cent over nicotine limit

Supermarkets have pulled a vape device from their stores after it was found to be at least 50 percent above the legal nicotine limit.

Vape supplier Elf Bar is already pulling its 600 line, the UK’s best-seller, off the shelves after a Mail investigation found it to be more than 50 per cent above the legal nicotine limit.

The 2ml limit on two percent nicotine liquid in vapes, which was introduced to “create an environment that protects children from using these products,” has been exceeded by another Elf Bar product, the Lost Mary vape, which is well has been sold for one in four vapes in the UK.

Tests showed the device was up to 80 percent above the nicotine maximum, which Andrew Bush, a professor of pediatrics at Imperial College London, described as “appalling” and said it was “deeply disturbing” that users didn’t know what they were taking. when the product is removed from the supermarket shelves.

England’s chief medical officer, Sir Chris Whitty, recently called for tackling the ‘appalling’ marketing of vapes to children, specifically calling out Elf Bar, whose 600 and Lost Mary vapes account for eight out of 10 disposable vapes sold in the UK.

Anti-smoking group Ash found last year that more than half of 11- to 17-year-olds who admitted to trying vaping said they used an Elf Bar, which is about 100,000 young people, despite vaping being illegal to under the age of 18. years old.

Elf Bar’s 600 range was pulled from supermarket shelves last month after the Mail investigation found the device contained up to 3.2ml of nicotine liquid.

Following an intervention from the UK medical watchdog, Elf Bar admitted it had “fallen short in some areas” and agreed to withdraw all 600 vapes that failed to meet the nicotine limit.

Further testing on five samples of a Double Apple flavor purchased by Lost Mary from a Sainsbury’s found that they contained an average of 3.6ml of nicotine liquid, while five Watermelon Ice flavored Lost Marys vapes purchased from Asda averaged 3.6ml. 2 ml found to contain. .

Sainsbury’s and Asda have confirmed they were stripping the Lost Mary vapes after the mail notified them of the results.

While vape manufacturers must register details of their products, such as nicotine liquid level, with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) before they can be sold in the UK, the MHRA does not conduct any testing of the vapes during this product registration.

The MHRA only takes action when they are warned that a product is breaking the law, for example by adding nicotine liquid that exceeds the legal limit.

Professor Bush told Mail+: ‘This is absolutely shocking. What does it say about our regulatory system if it takes a newspaper to expose these major violations of law?

“We urgently need to introduce compliance checks when manufacturers register vapes and further spot checks as soon as they go on sale to ensure companies are complying with the law.

“It is very worrying that people buy these vaporizers without knowing what they contain. These laws are there to protect users, especially children.”

Chris Allen, the director of the Broughton lab that conducted the testing, said regulators need to get on top of this quickly and would like to see strong regulatory measures, such as removing over-the-counter products, completed. testing of products and destruction of non-conforming products.

Elf Bar was contacted by Mail+ for comment about the Lost Mary tests, but did not respond.

The company previously said its products are safe and it would investigate all exports of vape products to the UK.