Environmental Health, Tobacco Update

Market surveillance action against certain disposable e-cigarettes

On May 18 2022 the HSE asked the public to stop using certain e-cigarettes from the Aroma King range of disposable electronic cigarettes which are non-compliant with EU tobacco legislation. They are also asking retailers to stop selling these products.

The HSE’s National Tobacco Control Office have submitted RAPEX alert notifications to Safety Gate (the EU rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products) after discovering that the products named below contain more than the permitted amount of nicotine (20mg/ml or 2%).

46 Aroma King disposable e-cigarettes in the ranges and flavours listed below were sampled and analysed by the HSE and found to have a nicotine concentration higher than the permitted amount of nicotine which is set in legislation at 20mg/ml, with levels up to 50.4mg/ml detected.  The declared nicotine concentration on the packaging indicates a nicotine concentration of 20mg/ml or 2% nicotine.

The HSE has contacted all major Irish distributors of e-cigarettes and refill containers that they are aware of and are in the process of contacting known retailers of these products.

The e-cigarettes involved in these HSE RAPEX alerts are as follows:

Alert Reference A12/00605/22 Aroma King Bar 600 puffs 20mg/ml 2% nicotine, in the following flavours and batch number:

Ice Skittles; Green Apple; Monster; Grape Energy; Hawaiia Pog; Berry Peach; Blueberry Bubblegum; Strawberry Ice Cream; Grape Ice; Watermelon Ice; Strawberry Ice; Peach Ice; Blue Sour Raspberry; Cherry Ice; Mango Apple Pear; Cool Mango; Blue Razz Cherry; Energy Drink  

BATCH NUMBER:  MFG: 2021.10.21 EXP: 2023.10.20

Alert Reference A12/00604/22 Aroma King 2000 puffs 20mg/ml salt nicotine, in the following flavours Blueberry, Hawaiian Pog, Blue Razz IceBATCH NUMBER:  No batch number

Alert Reference A12/00602/22 Aroma King 700+ puff 20mg/ml salt nicotine in the following flavours Peach Ice, Grape Ice, Mango Apple Pear,  Green Apple, Cool Mango, Banana Ice, Lychee Ice, Cola, Energy Drink Ice BATCH NUMBER:  No batch number

Alert Reference A12/00603/22 Aroma King Queen 1400 20mg/ml 2% nicotine in the following flavours Green Apple, Banana Ice, Cola LemonBATCH NUMBER:  No batch number

Aroma King 2000 puffs 20mg/ml salt nicotine, in the following flavours Iced Honey Pomelo, Mango Ice, Cool Mint Lemon, Taffee, Passion Fruit, Menthol Bubble, Grape Ice BATCH NUMBER: No batch number

The HSE is asking retailers to do the following:

1. If you have any of the Aroma King products as set out above, you must remove them from sale and contact info.tpd@hse.ie with product and full traceability details
2. If you have sold or distributed any of the products above, a recall notice must be displayed in a prominent position in your retail premises and on your website and social media.
3. If you stock additional 20mg/ml/ 2% nicotine-containing Aroma King disposable electronic cigarettes to those products outlined above, contact info.tpd@hse.ie with details of the products.

Retailers with any queries in relation to this matter can contact the HSE at info.tpd@hse.ie.

More information on the products can be found at https://ec.europa.eu/safety-gate-alerts/.>You should search using the words ‘electronic cigarette’.

Dr Maurice Mulcahy, Regional Chief Environmental Health Officer, HSE said “As a precautionary measure our message for the public is to check your e-cigarette product against the list of products involved in this alert. If you have one of these products we want you to stop using it and return it to the shop where you bought it. If you have already used it and feel unwell then you should contact your GP as the first point of contact.

‘‘We are asking retailers to stop selling the products listed below and to contact us with the full supplier traceability details. If retailers have sold or distributed any of the listed products below we want them to recall them by displaying a recall notice in a prominent position in their retail premises and on their website.”

The HSE is one of the authorities for the enforcement of the Tobacco Products Directive 2014/40/EU (TPD) which has been transposed by the EU (Manufacture, Presentation and Sale of Tobacco and Related Products) Regulations 2016 as amended.

The HSE is the Market Surveillance Authority for electronic cigarettes and refill containers.