Unauthorized poisons: Many disposable e-cigarettes are actually banned in Switzerland

Strawberry ice cream, banana smoothie, piña colada or would you rather have watermelon? There are hardly any limits to the imagination when it comes to the taste of e-cigarettes. When it comes to ingredients, however, the rules are strict – and actually clear. The nicotine content of disposable e-cigarettes may not exceed 20 milligrams per milliliter. Likewise, only ingredients that do not pose a risk to human health may be used in the nicotine-containing liquid – addictive nicotine is of course excluded from this rule.

Because tobacco products are subject to food law in Switzerland, according to contracts with the EU (Cassis-de-Dijon), the European Tobacco Products Directive applies. Actually. Because importers and sellers largely fight around these rules. A review by the Swiss Tobacco Prevention Working Group (AT) shows that most vapes circulating in Switzerland are effectively banned.

The Basel-City cantonal laboratory tested 32 different disposable e-cigarettes. At the end of the year it turned out that none met EU requirements. Seven vapes were even no longer allowed to be sold. Of the seven products, two exceeded the maximum allowable nicotine level, and five others were found to contain unacceptable toxins, including banned lead-containing solder. An additive was also found in 29 samples that was not declared in 24 products and the health effects of which have not been clarified. It can be harmful to your health.

E-cigarettes may therefore contain prohibited or dangerous substances. But the disposable vapes available in Switzerland are also illegal for another reason: the capacity of the tank is clearly limited to two milliliters. This amount allows approximately 600 to 800 inhalations, which corresponds to a pack of cigarettes. From a prevention perspective, this value is important so that users get a sense of how much they are actually consuming.

The Basel Cantonal Laboratory has already proven that the maximum volume was exceeded in 28 out of 29 samples – in some cases even several times. A new tobacco prevention study underlines the problem: It found that almost all online stores and brick-and-mortar stores sell non-compliant disposable e-cigarettes. The working group wrote this in a letter to the cantonal chemists on Friday, which is available to this editor. They are asked to monitor the products more closely and, in the event of violations, to remove them from the market and to fine dealers and importers.

Tobacco prevention is not tackling this problem for the first time. But has it reached the politicians and the authorities? In any case, the AT notes that these illegal products “were still in circulation more than a year ago.” The volume and quantity of vapors is also constantly increasing on major platforms such as Galaxus. The AT estimates that several million such e-cigarettes are sold every year.

The fact that tobacco prevention now calls on the cantonal laboratories also has to do with the fact that no one really seems to feel responsible. The Federal Council stated in August that the control of e-cigarettes fell under the “competence of the responsible enforcement authority.” This means that the cantonal pharmacies must carry out random checks.

However, the cantonal laboratories also have other tasks and obligations. The laboratory in Basel-Stadt recently called on importers to fulfill their duty of self-control and check their products at critical points. Producers also have a responsibility not to use carcinogenic substances.

There would not even be a need for a laboratory to determine illegal filling quantities. Some disposable vapes indicate that the tank is larger than 2 milliliters. In principle, it can be assumed that products advertising more than 800 inhalations for a disposable e-cigarette are actually banned.

The frustration with prevention is great. Wolfgang Kweitel, responsible for media work, is alarmed:

New research even shows that young people in particular are turning to e-cigarettes. According to a survey of 20,000 young people by the Lung League, consumption has almost doubled in two years. The authors of the study speak of a ‘real hype’: “Consumption in German-speaking Switzerland has increased from 15 percent in 2021 to 25 percent in 2023.” Consumption was highest in the canton of Aargau, where 29 percent of young people used e-cigarettes in the month before the survey.

Besides nicotine addiction, other long-term health effects of e-cigarettes are largely unknown, including little-studied additives in the liquid. For Wolfgang Kweitel, this is “an experiment with a living object”. He hopes that the new letter will finally wake up the authorities.

Because if the new tobacco products law comes into effect this year, the basic situation will not change. Disposable e-cigarettes with a high nicotine content and harmful substances remain prohibited. However, if no one checks the products and imposes sanctions on the importers and sellers, the illegal vapes will continue to be smoked. (aargauerzeitung.ch)