New Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 - Coming into Force Monday 20 May 2017 - New Rules On E-Cigarettes and E-Liquids - What You Need to Know:

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New Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 - Coming into Force Monday 20 May 2017 - New Rules On E-Cigarettes and E-Liquids - What You Need to Know:

No. 204/2017

12 April 2017

Our Ref: C1/17

New Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 - Coming into Force Monday 20 May 2017 - New Rules On E-Cigarettes and E-Liquids - What You Need to Know:

To: All Branches

Dear Colleagues,

The new Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 comes into force on Monday, May 20, and introduces a number of rules about the sale of e-cigarettes and e-liquids.

Ahead of the changes to the law, the government want to make sure that all local manufacturers and retailers are aware of the changes.

The changes include:

All e-cigarettes and e-liquids must be registered with the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency before they can be sold.
Refillable tanks for e-cigarettes must be no bigger than 2ml capacity.
E-liquids cannot be sold in quantities greater than 10ml.
Unless registered as a medicine the strength of nicotine in an E-liquid must not exceed 20mg/ml.
The packaging of E-liquids must be child-resistant and tamper evident.
Certain additives such as the stimulants caffeine and taurine or colourings are banned.
New labelling requirements.
Anyone who does not comply could face imprisonment of up to two years and/or an unlimited fine.

These changes to the law apply to anyone who makes or sells e-cigarettes and e-liquids including those who sell online via social media, auction sites or from their own website.

Trading Standards are particularly keen to get the message out to small manufacturers and people who brew e-liquids at home to sell online as these are the most difficult businesses to reach.

Trading Standards Officials state that shops are aware of the changes to the law but small online retailers are not.

Currently e-liquids are being sold online in 100ml bottles with a nicotine strength over 20mg/ml. After 20 May this will be illegal unless the e-liquid is registered as a medicine.

Public Health England Research Report:

The main findings of an evidence review/research report carried out by Public Health England in 2015 concluded that "E-cigarettes are 95% less harmful than tobacco" and could be prescribed on the NHS in future to help smokers quit. While data on their long-term safety is unavailable, expert opinion is that e-cigarettes are around 95% safer than smoking.

Public Health England is a government agency that aims to protect and improve the nation's health and wellbeing, and reduce health inequalities.

What are e-cigarettes?

Most e-cigarettes contain a battery, an atomiser and a replaceable cartridge. The cartridge contains nicotine in a solution of either propylene glycol or glycerine and water, and sometimes flavourings. When you suck on the device, a sensor detects the air flow and starts a process to heat the liquid inside the cartridge, so it evaporates to form water vapour. Inhaling this vapour delivers a hit of nicotine straight to your lungs.

Unlike "traditional" cigarettes, they do not contain the many dangerous chemicals that can increase the risk of Lung Cancer, Heart Disease and Stroke. Cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, including 43 known cancer-causing (carcinogenic) compounds and 400 other toxins. These include nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide, as well as formaldehyde, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, arsenic, and DDT. Nicotine is highly addictive.

E-Cigarette Facts:

There has been a rise in e-cigarette use that has been matched by a corresponding decrease in smoking.
E-cigarettes are now the most popular quitting aid in England.
There is good-quality evidence that e-cigarettes can be effective in helping people quit smoking.
While data on their long-term safety is unavailable, expert opinion is that e-cigarettes are around 95% safer than smoking.
When used as intended, e-cigarettes pose no risk of nicotine poisoning.
E-cigarettes release negligible amounts of nicotine into the environment, and no health risks to bystanders (e.g. passive smoking) have been identified.
What suggestions does the PHE review make?

E-cigarettes should not be treated in the same way as normal cigarettes.
E-cigarettes offer the potential of providing a low-cost, effective intervention that could help England’s 8 million smokers to quit the habit for good.
Stop smoking services should actively engage with smokers who want to use e-cigarettes to quit.
Once e-cigarettes are regulated as medical products –e-cigarettes could be made available by the NHS on prescription.
The review says 76,000 lives could be saved every year if people switched to e-cigarettes.

Further reading

Public Health England. “E-cigarettes: a new foundation for evidence-based policy and practice.” August 2015. http://www.academia.edu/25368833/E-ciga ... d_practice" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Are e-cigarettes or 'vaping' safe?

Short term negative effects from e-cigarettes or 'vaping' can include mild mouth or throat irritation and dry cough.

E-liquids contain flavourings which are safe to ingest, but the risks of inhaling them long-term are unknown.

Experts recommend avoiding some flavours, where there is evidence that they may be harmful (e.g. butterscotch and cinnamon flavours).

There are safety concerns about accidental poisoning from the nicotine-containing e-liquid. It is recommended that e-liquids and cartridges are kept out of the reach of children and pets to prevent accidental poisoning.

Nicotine is toxic if ingested or comes into contact with the skin or eyes. It is also harmful for pets.

As e-cigarettes have become much more widely used, the number of poisoning alerts of adults and children has increased in two years, reaching around 250 cases last year.

A 300% increase has been reported in dogs poisoned from chewing e-cigarette cartridges. Advice has been issued for pet owners and for vets.

A number of incidents have been reported in the media of e-cigarettes exploding while charging, causing fires and personal injury. Safety Advice on e-cigarettes was issued.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer