Undercover Investigation Exposes Ireland's Illicit Vape Market

On January 27th, the investigative column of the Irish Times published a lengthy report titled "Undercover investigation reveals scale of Ireland's illicit vape market," which analyzed the current state of the e-cigarette market in Ireland and uncovered numerous issues within it. Key aspects covered included:

Illegal sales prevalent: An investigation by the Irish Times undercover column at the end of last year visited 16 different locations in Dublin, where over 80% (13 locations) were able to purchase illegal e-cigarettes. Disposable e-cigarettes are commonly sold illegally in Dublin stores, and these types of shops are scattered throughout Ireland.

Various violations of products were found: the undercover team purchased a variety of products that were in violation, such as expired products from 3 stores, products without proper health warnings on the packaging from 12 stores, e-cigarette liquids exceeding legal limits from 2 stores, and products from 3 stores that did not have the required health and safety information leaflets.

Some brands are selling products in large quantities: Reporters purchased e-cigarette liquids exceeding legal limits at two stores, such as "RandM Tornado 9000 Pro" containing 18 milliliters of e-liquid, which is 9 times the legal limit. The product with the same permit number has been warned by the EU, but the manufacturer Shenzhen Fumote Technology Co., Ltd. did not respond to inquiries. "Hayati Pro Max" contains 10 milliliters of e-cigarette liquid, which is 5 times the legal limit, and the manufacturer PAX International Limited also did not respond.

Serious lack of health warnings: Out of the 21 e-cigarettes purchased, 15 of them only had health warnings in English and not in Irish as required by regulations. Many products on the market lack correct health warnings, including popular brands like Lost Mary and Elfbar, most of which are not authorized to be sold in Ireland.

Retailers sell expired products: A team purchased 5 expired e-cigarettes, including brands like Lost Mary and Elfbar, some retailers deny selling expired products or have not responded, and 3 e-cigarettes sold at Moore Street market stalls have all expired in 2023.

Retailers respond to chaos: Some e-cigarettes lack safety instructions, such as "RandM Tornado 9000 Pro" and "DejaVoo Fresh Cube." Store owners claim the products have been taken off the shelves but are still being sold to undercover teams. When faced with questions, they cite customer demand and claim they will dispose of any non-compliant products. Importer Bliz Electronics Limited has not responded to requests for comment.

Law enforcement supervision is under scrutiny: European Parliament member Barry Andrews pointed out that the widespread violations of e-cigarettes highlight the lack of actual enforcement and regulatory inspections by the Irish Health Service Executive at retail outlets. Although 40 planned inspections of e-cigarette manufacturers and distributors were set last year, it is unknown if they were completed. The new government has promised to introduce extensive restrictions on e-cigarettes, and relevant EU regulations are also under review. The public can report violations of sales practices.

The original text is translated as follows: The following is the translation of the original text (please refer to the original English text for the specific content):

A recent undercover investigation revealed that the illegal sale of disposable e-cigarettes is rampant in stores across Dublin.

The Journal Investigates, a program by the Irish Times, carried out an undercover operation at the end of last year, visiting 16 different locations in Dublin city, including e-cigarette specialty shops, cellphone repair shops, corner stores, and a market stall on Moore Street. It was found that these places were openly selling e-cigarettes.

In more than 80% (13 out of the total) of randomly selected locations, it was possible to purchase e-cigarettes that did not comply with a certain EU regulation or were found to be in violation of it. This highlights how easy it is to purchase such e-cigarettes.

The shops visited by our team are scattered throughout Ireland.

Our investigation results indicate that many people are unknowingly purchasing and using unsafe e-cigarettes, which may contain expired ingredients or lack necessary safety warnings, while sellers disregard regulations.

In this largely unregulated industry, numerous retailers openly flout the few existing rules, brazenly displaying products in store windows that should not be sold. This clearly indicates a lack of enforcement by authorities.

Our undercover team purchased expired products at 3 stores, products with incorrect health warnings on the packaging at 12 stores, and more concerningly, products containing e-cigarette liquid exceeding the legal limit at 2 stores.

Professor Donal O'Shea, head of the Department of Chemistry at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), told the Irish Times investigative column that due to a lack of research on e-cigarettes, users of e-cigarette products are already "taking on a significant amount of unknown risks," and using illicit products only further exacerbates the situation.

He also added that there is a wide variety of e-cigarette products, each using different chemicals for flavoring. This makes it difficult for researchers and regulatory agencies to accurately predict the effects of e-cigarettes on our health.

Three stores sold us e-cigarettes without providing the mandatory health and safety information leaflet.

Member of the European Parliament, Barry Andrews, in response to our survey results, stated that, "In terms of e-cigarette products, the current situation in Dublin is like the 'Wild West', with no order," and added that stricter checks and regulations should be implemented for shops selling e-cigarettes.

According to the European Tobacco Products Directive, e-cigarette products must comply with a series of regulations before entering the Irish market.

This includes health warnings clearly marked in both Irish and English on the packaging, with a maximum nicotine concentration of 20mg/ml.

The e-liquid contained in disposable e-cigarettes must not exceed 2 milliliters of nicotine.

E-cigarettes can only be sold in packaging that is not easily opened by children, and further restrictions are placed on advertising and promotions of e-cigarettes and other e-liquid products.

Manufacturers, importers, and retailers found to be in violation of regulations will face prosecution and hefty fines.

Despite this, the investigative column of the Irish Times easily discovered numerous non-compliant products being sold in Dublin.

Illegal sale of e-cigarettes in stores.

Our undercover team purchased two e-cigarettes from two different stores, both of which had significantly higher levels of e-cigarette liquid than the legal limit for disposable e-cigarettes.

One e-cigarette, named the "RandM Tornado 9000 Pro," is equipped with 18 milliliters of e-liquid, which is nine times the legal limit for e-liquid quantity.

The product with the same license number as the e-cigarette we purchased has been flagged by the EU Safety Gate, and retailers have been notified to remove it from shelves by early 2024.

The National Environmental Health Service Department (NEHS) of the Health Service Executive (HSE) in Ireland uses the system to alert consumers and other EU member states to products found to pose serious health risks.

Though the labeled nicotine concentration and flavors differ, all of these products share the same issue of containing an excessive amount of nicotine liquid (18 milliliters), consistent with the products we have purchased.

The warning also pointed out that excessive e-liquid consumption may lead to "accidental ingestion of high doses of nicotine," and that the product does not comply with EU regulations.

The packaging of the e-cigarette we purchased also indicates that it should not be sold in Ireland.

On the back of the packaging box, it reads "For sale in the United States only" and contains information related to Proposition 65 in California. This state law requires products containing certain chemicals to be labeled when sold in California.

In addition, the packaging box does not list an expiration date, making it difficult to determine the production date of the product.

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