Fears of nicotine addiction in children have been raised after a stash of illegal e-cigarettes was found in a Brighton shop and £2,500 worth of illegal cigarettes were seized.
The Business Standards Agency in Brighton and Hove discovered the illegal devices at the store and noticed that many of them were equipped with “extra-large capacity” smoke tanks that contained nearly six times the legal limit of nicotine.
Legal e-cigarettes have a tank capacity of 2 ml, which contains 2% nicotine, equivalent to about 600 puffs. Many of the e-cigarettes seized by the Business Standards Bureau had a nicotine content equivalent to 280 cigarettes, with the liquid holding between 3,500 and 9,000 puffs.
Councillor Tim Loggins, chair of Brighton and Hove City Council’s environment, South Butte and Marine committee, said:
“I am very pleased that our business standards officers are cracking down on illegal e-cigarettes and the sale to minors.”
He added:
“It is disappointing that there are businesses in our city willing to endanger the health of our citizens by selling illegal goods. The rapid adoption of e-cigarettes among children and young people, including the use of cheaper illegal and unregulated e-cigarettes, is extremely concerning. It’s making a generation addicted to nicotine who might not otherwise smoke.”
He also said he was concerned about the rise of single-use e-cigarettes. In addition to health concerns, this product is completely unsustainable from a waste disposal point of view.
References:
【1】Illegal vapes seized from shop in Brighton