Fruit flavored e-cigarettes banned? CCTV investigation reveals irregular sales

On the 23rd, March，the "Quality Report" program on CCTV News Channel aired a segment titled "Hidden 'Fruit Flavor' E-cigarettes," reporting on the banned fruit-flavored e-cigarettes that are still available for purchase both online and offline. Some teenagers have even developed a smoking addiction as a result. Following the broadcast of the program, relevant authorities quickly took action.

The Shenzhen Tobacco Monopoly Bureau has recently focused on investigating offline e-cigarette sales outlets and analyzing online e-cigarette sales leads. They have been uncovering the networks behind the sale of e-cigarettes, and have so far taken down a total of 6680 pieces of smoking-related information on platforms such as Douyin, Pinduoduo, Xianyu, Taobao, and Bilibili. They will continue to monitor platform improvements and have already identified multiple suspected illegal e-cigarette merchants for further investigation by local tobacco authorities.

To further investigate the safety risks of fruit-flavored e-cigarette pods, reporters sent some purchased online and offline pods to a reputable domestic testing institution for analysis. Testing personnel examined the ingredients in the pods according to current national e-cigarette standards, and the results showed that all samples did not meet the national standards. According to Yang Bin, the general manager of Shanghai New Tobacco Testing Technology Co., Ltd., the excessive substance found in the aerosol was a cooling agent called WS-23, which is commonly used to provide a lasting cooling sensation and reduce the irritation of nicotine, improving the taste of the product. In this test, five products had WS-23 added in quantities ranging from 1.8 to 5.8 times the acceptable limit. Excessive use of WS-23 can decrease the perception of nicotine in the body, mislead consumers into using e-cigarettes excessively, and potentially attract underage individuals to use e-cigarettes.

In addition, regarding the journalist's discovery of a large number of products being sold on multiple e-commerce platforms and short video platforms that closely resemble e-cigarettes in appearance, the deputy director of the Shenzhen Tobacco Monopoly Bureau's supervision and management department, Wang Zhenyu, clearly stated: According to the relevant regulations of the "Regulations on the Management of E-cigarettes" and the national standards for e-cigarettes, e-cigarettes refer to electronic transmission systems used to generate aerosols for inhalation by people, and aerosols refer to mixtures and auxiliary substances that can be fully or partially atomized by electronic devices for inhalation. Therefore, variations of e-cigarettes that do not contain nicotine are also within the scope of e-cigarette regulation and cannot be illegally produced or sold. For example, some so-called herbal e-cigarette products have opaque aerosol components, have not undergone strict inspection and testing procedures, pose quality and safety risks, and false claims of being beneficial to health can mislead consumers and even tempt minors to smoke, leading to significant health risks.

The relevant person in charge of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration stated that the next step will be to continue to increase supervision and law enforcement efforts, harshly crackdown on the illegal production and sale of fruit-flavored e-cigarettes, herbal vapes, and illegally imported e-cigarettes, and lawfully investigate and punish various violations by e-cigarette operators. This will further promote the legalization and standardized governance of the e-cigarette industry, and fully protect the physical and mental health of minors.