Not all electronic cigarettes comply with EU directives - authority
A number of electronic cigarettes found on the market do not comply with the essential health and safety requirements of the European directives under which such products fall, or are being claimed to fall, the Technical Regulations Division within the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority said.
It said in a statement that all electronic cigarettes should have the CE mark.
Moreover, products which either claim to assist the user to stop smoking and/or have other health claims and/or have a nicotine content of 10mg per ml or more fall under the Medical Devices Regulations.
Electronic cigarettes and their use must also comply with the provisions of legislation on tobacco products, even if they do not contain any nicotine, the division said.
It advised consumers that inhaling vapours could not in any way be considered healthy.
“It is evident from research carried out by the authority that a number of people are importing these cigarettes personally over the internet and are then selling them to consumers, or even to some retail outlets, on a one-to-one basis.
“The Technical Regulations Division reminds such economic operators that they are and remain personally responsible for the products they are placing on the market and that they may be liable for legal action should the products not conform to all applicable requirements.”
The division said that consumers who wished to report any unsafe product could do so directly on the authority’s website, tel: 2395 2000.
http://mccaa.org.mt/loadfile/edec0589-219c-40d7-bb1c-f1d697799d8a
24 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
Keith Mizzi
Aug 1st 2012, 13:34
It is interesting how only negative / bad advertising is currently being made by the media about the e cigarette. It is also funny how the Maltese Media are trying to demonize this ''new thing'' they just discovered. Please note that the Electronic Cigarette has been around for about 6 years and so far no deaths have been attributed to it. On the other hand please see below some facts about Real Cigarette Smoking:
- Around 6 million deaths a year are caused by tobacco.
- Smoking is set to kill 6.5 million people in 2015 and 8.3 million humans in 2030, with the biggest rise in low-and middle-income countries.
- Every 6.5 seconds a current or former smoker dies, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
- An estimated 1.3 billion people are smokers worldwide (WHO).
- Over 443,000 Americans (over 18 percent of all deaths) die because of smoking each year.
I also smell Tax losses here, the government should also look at the long term effects to his pocket and not only short term. As using such electronic devices surely does a lesser harm then smoking the hundreds of chemicals found in normal cigarettes. It is true that studies by the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) found 1 harmful chemical in one of the 18 samples tested. I wonder how many harmful chemicals are found in all normal cigarettes?
I say Tax the Liquid since it has nicotine, do more unbiased research, publish it and let the consumers do their decisions.
With regards to CE Certified Electronic Cigarettes available on the Market. I say look for CE, ROHS, FCC and SGS approved products and not just CE.
Some of the the reputable companies that manufacture Certified Electronic Cigarettes are: Joyetech, Janty, Ovale and Ruyan.
J.C. Borg
Jul 31st 2012, 10:56
"should have the CE mark"
Even goods coming from China have CE (China Exports) mark.
The European Union should, if need be change the logo so that it will not be mixed with others on the market. Also I do not like to read just "Made in the EU", these might also be misleading.
Mark Borg
Jul 31st 2012, 09:25
I can imagine that a lot of these products are from China. I have had my fair share of trying different e-cigarette products and I blog about my e-cigarette experiences in my blog http://www.e-cigarette.com.mt .I stopped smoking using this device and so can any other smoker, just make sure that what you buy (like with every other product) is safe and abides by EU regulations.
Sylvana Zarb Darmanin
Jul 31st 2012, 08:45
I strongly believe that the Authority should provide concrete information about the e-cig as compared to the normal cigarette. Maybe they are both harmful to our health but one may be more dangerous than the other. As a smoker, I wish to switch to the e-cig as I know of many ex-smokers who stopped smoking after using the e-cig. On the other hand, I am afraid to start using the e-cig before hearing some facts about it. I urge the authority to research further and let us have the true picture of it all (ignoring the loss of taxes the Government collects from normal cigarette purchases).
Tony Zammit
Jul 31st 2012, 06:43
Till you have proved that E-Sig is more harmful I wouldn’t comment on them. One thing for sure there is no tar, No paper burning, No mess left behind can't even get a fine for throwing it on the ground, No ashtray and the list goes on. Bad thing for government is that there no taxation being collected..CE is that for China Electronics like other things being stamped on?
James Pullicino
Jul 31st 2012, 08:03
>> CE is that for China Electronics
lol. CE is an abbreviation of French: Conformité Européenne, meaning "European Conformity"
Keith Camilleri
Jul 31st 2012, 01:18
I've tried them and went back to the real thing. The way I see it, until someone tells me that they are not worse then cigarettes, I'm better off trusting the devil we know. Remember we are throwing actual nicotine on our tongue and our throat. This might not cause lung cancer in 25 years, but can cause throat , tongue and god knows what other cancer in maybe 2 years. Until WHO tell me I can, I won't !!!!
L Borg
Jul 31st 2012, 11:45
If you don't want to use them, then don't. That doesn't mean that I can't use them, until someone tells me they are worse then cigarettes then I'll continue to use them. I know they are not healthy, of course they aren't! But so are cigarettes. At least I am not inhaling tar and with the money I am saving on cigarettes, I will have enough money for a decent funeral:)
G Mugliett
Jul 30th 2012, 20:53
The main issue is the e-liquid, finally you inhale the smoke not the e-cig.
Chinese e-liquids does not even have a label, stating ingredients, where was made and who made them. Also Chinese e-liquids are synthetic ( artificial chemical made in factories )
On the other hand European liquids are made if natural vegetable jiuce extract , also you'll find a label stating all ingredients and who made them and expiry date.
Difference in price is minimal just around €1.50.
Louis Pace
Jul 30th 2012, 20:17
We don't know yet if they are harmful or not and they are trying to stop them already but they know what cigarettes do and all they do is add more tax not stop them altogether. They don't let you smoke cigarettes in public places because it is bad for others and they say that this is proven because of the thousands of chemicals in them and not just the nicotine, so these only have nicotine and much much less chemicals.
Now to an important part I used to vape three years ago but used to smoke also this was because the e-cig gave you less time it was very limited, now they have improved that with one battery you could get of over 12 hours of heavy vaping and less burnt vape flavour. Now three weeks ago I started again I went and bought one from Malta to try it out and have not looked at a packet of cigarettes again I still have the last packet in the car. Last Friday I went to pick my son from summer school and forgot my e-cig at home and while I was waiting for him I took a cigarette and with the secong drag I switched it off I didn't like it. I vape alot at home I even did one myself using usb supply and even do my own mix of juices and mostly without any nicotine at all just flavours that is to prove that I'm smoking because of the habit only.
Now I have a question on what I noticed lately, How many of you people that smoke goes somewhere with the family where you cannot smoke and you go outside to smoke as fast one and find that you feel dizzy as soon as you finish the cigarette...... with vaping this did not happen to me when I was vaping a 24mg nicotine juice..... Why not?????
David Farrugia
Jul 30th 2012, 22:06
you get dizzy smoking fast, because you build up quite an amount of carbon monoxide in your blood. That's why. With e cigs, there's no combustion, i.e. no carbon monoxide.
Arsenio Ellul
Jul 30th 2012, 20:08
What are the results from the authority's investigation or research?
Mr Andrei Azzopardi
Jul 30th 2012, 19:21
"It advised consumers that inhaling vapours could not in any way be considered healthy." -- And, may I ask, inhaling cigarette vapor is more healthy?
L Borg
Jul 31st 2012, 11:51
agree! Inhaling cigarette vapor is healthier for the government's tax box!
A Camilleri
Jul 30th 2012, 19:12
I'm more concerned with the tar content of cigarettes. That's what clogs the lungs up like a chimney stack.
X Borg
Jul 30th 2012, 18:35
I think it would have been a service to consumers to name brands and models that actually do comply - there must be a register somewhere I guess.
Also, is the CE mark really something to rely on after all its usually only printed on the product or just a sticker. Anyone can print a symbol.
Willie Grech
Jul 30th 2012, 18:49
@ X Borg
CE marking should and are embossed. That shows you that the product is EU approved. All other types of markings, printed, sticker or other are all fakes.
X Borg
Jul 30th 2012, 20:26
@Willie Grech
It doesn't take much to just print print/emboss a symbol.
Again I ask, if the CE symbol is such a prestigious mark I would presume that products are actually inspected and registered. Does anyone have a link that lists CE approved products.
Albert Farrugia
Jul 30th 2012, 17:52
The only reason why e-cigarettes will soon be banned across the EU is that governments are afraid they will lose their lucrative cut they receive each time a normal cigarette is bought. So there.
James Attard
Jul 30th 2012, 18:27
yep agreed.
Franco Attard Trevisan
Jul 30th 2012, 18:43
While agreeing with you that taxes on cigarettes are a very 'lucrative' income to both EU and non-EU countries and also that the E-cigarettes do cut down profitability from taxation, I cannot agree that this would be the 'only' reason it could be banned... I think there is a very good chance that nicotine addiction gets worse with these E-cigs instead of better since the user can keep inhaling vapour more than he or she would do regularly by smoking since it is so easy and handy... Also, when I looked up to purchase a good one online (tried, tested and certified by qualified independent labs) it was two to three times the price you pay locally for one... So I am not surprised the authorities are looking up the products that are being supplied locally.. I am sure there are many low standard Chinese gadgets on the market which can be a hazard to users.... I still do believe E-cig cause less physical damage than cigarettes in essence.
Louis Pace
Jul 30th 2012, 18:54
This is the same as OIL my friend. There will be the same fight as when the electric car was invented.
C Cassar
Jul 30th 2012, 20:45
Cutting out smoking on a large scale saves €billions of tax payers money that is currently used to treat the uneducated who smoke and get chronic diseases. So, €billions saved and a healthier population who can work longer and not need to live off a pension as early as many do now. The problem is the cost of treating those that smoke is huge because medical advances keep them alive for many years while they can't work but instead sponge off the state.
michelle agius
Jul 30th 2012, 22:06
come of it c.cassar i know people who had bypasses and other illness and never smoked in there lives. why always blame sickness in cigarettes ?? what about fumes from cars eh??? and by the way i'm asthmatic and passed my childhood in hospital but since i started smoking i haven't been . its been 30 yrs now i haven't been in hospital . i'm not saying cigarettes are good but for me they are, the only problem is they cost alot.
.
Please choose the reason of your report below: