According to a report from The Guardian, data from 125 local governments in the UK shows that the country's trade standards department has seized millions of illegal e-cigarettes since the beginning of 2020.
In the past three years, trade standard departments across the country have confiscated over 2.5 million illegal e-cigarettes. In the city of Hounslow, located near Heathrow Airport (a major entry point for illegal trade), law enforcement officials have already seized over 1.35 million e-cigarettes.
These illegal e-cigarettes do not comply with UK e-cigarette regulatory laws and may have higher levels of nicotine concentration, prohibited ingredients, or super capacity e-liquid. Laboratory research has also found that illegal e-cigarettes may contain high levels of heavy metal components.
According to Kate Pike, director of the British Franchise Association, these figures are just the "tip of the iceberg".
There are numerous illegal products in the market that young people have access to. We don't want children or adults to become addicted to these types of products.
At the beginning of this month, leaders of the UK National Health Service (NHS) expressed concern over the number of children being admitted to hospital for treatment due to using e-cigarettes.
According to the NHS, in 2022, 40 children and young people in England were hospitalized due to "e-cigarette-related illnesses," compared to only 11 two years ago.
Pediatricians have also warned that "teen use of e-cigarettes is becoming a rapidly spreading epidemic among children," and are calling on the government to ban disposable e-cigarettes.
A spokesperson from the UK Department of Health and Social Care informed The Guardian:
Selling nicotine e-cigarettes to children is illegal. We are concerned about the increasing use of e-cigarettes among young people, especially because the long-term potential risks are still unclear.
Reference: [1] The seizure of over 2.5 million illegal vaping products in the past three years represents only a small portion of the problem.
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