Disposable electronic cigarettes, the survey: “Many are irregular”

Disposable electronic cigarettes, the latest arrivals in the world of vaping, are increasingly sold: usable until the battery and liquid run out, with a modern design, fruit flavored and more, with nicotine (in salts or synthetic) or without them, and at a low cost, they are dangerously attractive for young people and – as emerges from an Altroconsumo survey – a risk for children’s health and for the environment. The organization – reports a note – reported all the irregularities that emerged on these products to the Customs and Monopolies Agency, the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security .

From the survey – reads the note – it emerges that, out of 15 single-use electronic cigarettes purchased online and analysed, many problems were found: from the lack of authorization for sale in Italy, to nicotine levels exceeding the legal limits, from the absence of controls on age of the buyer, to the non-regular health warnings on the label. Furthermore, in some cases, the environmental legislation on WEEE waste is not respected. The 15 disposable cigarettes purchased online in May 2023, with menthol, banana, peach, cotton candy, mango, blueberry – highlights the report – are from nine brands, with and without nicotine.

For the definition of the sample, Altroconsumo also considered the type of promotion carried out by producers and distributors. Fourteen out of 15 devices are made in China (one product did not report this information); as well as Chinese, the manufacturing or importing companies are also American, French, German, Italian. Costs? Contents – according to Altroconsumo experts – cost less than 10 euros on average, with prices ranging from 4 euros to 18.90 euros.

The disposable e-cig – details the note – is a disposable device which, like traditional electronic cigarettes, vaporizes a liquid (with or without nicotine). The main difference is that it cannot be recharged: when liquid and battery run out, it stops working and must be thrown away. Liquids (also called e-liquids) are composed of different ingredients such as vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, flavors and possibly nicotine. Another difference compared to rechargeable e-cigs is the amount of nicotine which, when present, is approximately 2% (equal to 20 mg per ml). There is no possibility, as with rechargeables, to choose how much nicotine to vape (from 2 mg/ml to 20 mg/ml) and, therefore, eventually to scale to try to quit smoking gradually.

The survey revealed that only five out of 15 e-cigarettes bore the mark of the Customs and Monopolies Agency (Adm) which legitimizes the circulation of disposable electronic cigarettes (with and without nicotine) in Italy. The sale of the other ten unmarked e-cigs – continues the note – should not be possible in our country. And yet – Altroconsumo points out – we were able to buy them online and receive them without any problems, moreover without uploading any documents to the site for age verification. To obtain the mark, the producer must request it by presenting a series of documents. The Adm does not assess the quality of the product – Altroconsumo points out – but this path ensures more protection than producers and allows both the authorities and consumers to understand whether the device is legal or not. Furthermore, the sites on which unbranded e-cigs were purchased are not registered in the Adm list of subjects authorized to sell: therefore – concludes the note – they could not sell e-cigs. Among these, also the e-commerce giant.