According to BK55, Russia is adjusting its national standards for electronic cigarettes. As per the draft order submitted to the Russian Federal Standards Agency, the shelf life of electronic cigarette devices and e-liquid will be limited to no more than two years, and the capacity will also be strictly regulated.
The shelf life of the equipment and the e-liquid will be limited to two years.
The State Duma member Alexander Tolmachev stated that the working group has completed the revision of ГОСТ Р 58109–2018.
Tormajov stated that the draft order has been submitted to Rosstandart for registration and is likely to be made public in the near future. “Significant changes will be made to the national standards.”
Tormajov stated that for e-cigarette users, e-cigarettes will no longer be a “permanent” product.
He explained that the two-year shelf life is not only related to health but also to market circulation.
According to their statement, the currently seized devices and e-liquids will be stored in the warehouse for several years before being reintroduced to the market. The new regulations will block this channel.
The capacity will be strictly limited.
The report states that one of the most notable changes in this revision is the capacity limit.
The new standard proposes that the capacity of replaceable cartridges should not exceed 2 milliliters, the capacity of single-use systems should not exceed 10 milliliters, and the capacity of the supplementary containers should not exceed 30 milliliters.
Tormajov said, “There will no longer be electronic cigarettes available with 30,000 or 40,000 or even more nicotine content, nor will there be nicotine oil sold by the liter in the market.”
The new standard intends to prohibit the addition of any extra functional components.
The report also states that the new ГОСТ will prohibit the conversion of e-cigarettes into “digital toys”. The standards do not allow for the addition of any extra components.
Tormajoev said that there are many mixed-type products on the market. “You can smoke when you want to, and if you get tired of it, you can just play instead.” This has led users to hold the product in their hands almost all the time and end up smoking more and more unconsciously.
The packaging design will be subject to restrictions.
According to the report, the packaging will also change.
The new standard proposes to prohibit the use of images of fruits, berries, cakes and desserts, animals and animated characters on packaging.
The shape of the equipment itself should not evoke any “lovely” associations.
The front of the packaging will feature a large warning message.
The report states that the warning methods on the packaging will be similar to those of traditional cigarettes. The area of the black box warning text must not be less than one-third of the total area of the packaging front.
For nicotine-containing e-liquids, the warning reads “Nicotine can lead to addiction”; for e-liquids without nicotine, the warning states “This product may cause harm to your health”.
The new GOST is referred to as the next step in Russia’s regulation of electronic cigarettes.
Tormajov also stated that since the eighth session of the State Duma began, the issue of e-cigarette sales has been under serious discussion.
Previously, Russia had already banned the sale of such products to minors and imposed fines and criminal penalties.
He said that the new ГОСТ is the next step.
The governor of the Republic of Omsk, Vitaly Khotsenko, supports the ban on the sale of e-cigarettes in this region.