ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Written by Dan Overgage
Dan Overgage is a former smoker of 10 years until he became a client of SMOKO E-Cigarettes. Dan started working with SMOKO 5 years ago after successfully quitting using our e-cigarettes and works across our Customer Service and heads up our content creation and research with a strong focus on all things quitting smoking. During his tenure with SMOKO, Dan has written countless blogs and consults with countless clients every day to help them to stay smoke-free.
In the article, we'll outline all the things you should and shouldn't do when you are planning to take your vape or e-cigarette on a plane.
The short answer is yes you can take your vape on a plane. But you will have to take a few steps to ensure you have your vape when you arrive at your destination. The best thing to do is to pack your vape, e-cigarettes, e-liquids and vaping accessories in your carry-on luggage.
Like laptops, mobile phones and other small electrical devices, vapes are considered by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as Personal Electronic Devices or PED's for short.
You should always remove your vape refills or tanks from your vape batteries and turn them off before you pack them into your carry-on luggage.
The great news about taking your vapes on a plane in your carry-on luggage - if your check-in luggage gets lost, at least you still have your trusty vape when you land!
You should take the following steps to ensure you pack your vapes for air travel properly:
- Ensure you switch off you vape batteries.
- Remove any vape refills or mod tanks from all of your batteries. If you use a refillable vape tank, we would recommend emptying the tank of all e-liquids so they do not leak or damage your atomizer when the plane's cabin is pressurised.
- Wrap all of your vape and e-cigarette batteries individually or pack them in the packaging they came in when you bought them. This will ensure your rechargeable vape batteries do not short circuit or disrupt any electrical or navigation systems while flying.
- To be on the safe side, the CAA recommends that batteries and electrical goods are easy to access and remove them when going through security checks. Most international airports require all electrical items to be removed from hand luggage and set out separately when put through the x-ray.
- If you use e-liquids, you should pack your e-liquid bottles in a clear plastic bag so it is easy to remove them for inspection with your other liquids when you go through security checks. Remember that you cannot take more than 100ml of any liquid per bottle on most international planes.
If you follow these simple instructions, you should have no problems taking your vapes on a plane.
Like most public buildings in the UK and the EU, smoking cigarettes or vaping is not allowed within an airport like Heathrow Airport [1]. Most airports do have designated smoking and vaping areas outside the building. These designated vaping areas should be signposted.
Once you pass through the security check-in, most UK airports do not have any smoking areas or designated vaping areas. So if you struggle going without your vape for extended periods of time, you may want to consider taking another NRT (nicotine replacement therapies) with you like nicotine gum or nicotine pouches.
Some international airports in the EU and in other parts of the world may have designated smoking areas after security check-in and these areas will be signposted. As long as vapes are legal in that country, then you should be able to use your vape in those designated smoking areas.
Yes and no. This depends on the vaping laws in the country you are departing from and travelling to. If vapes and e-cigarettes are banned in the country travelling from or to, then we would advise that you do not take e-liquids or vape refills when you travel.
However, if vaping is legal in both countries, then you can bring e-liquids on a plane. With e-liquid bottles or vape refills, they should be packed into a clear plastic bag that you can easily remove and present to airport security staff at the security check-in.
Most airports have a maximum of 100ml/bottle of liquid restriction for any type of liquid that you are permitted to take on a plane.
Like smoking cigarettes, vaping or using an e-cigarette or a cigalike is prohibited worldwide on airplanes. All airplanes are fitted with smoke detectors that can detect vapour produced by an electronic cigarette or a vape. If you are caught vaping on a plane, you can face steep fines and possible criminal persecution.
We would recommend that you never use your e-cigarette or vape on a plane under any circumstance. If you are a heavy vaper and struggle to go for extended periods without using your vape, we would recommend using a nicotine replacement product like nicotine sprays or nic gum.
Unlike vapes or e-cigarettes that produce a smoke-like vapour when you use them, NRT or Nicotine Replacement Therapy products like nicotine gum, nicotine patches and sprays or nicotine pouches do not produce any vapour. As such, the use of nicotine gum or nicotine pouches on a plane are 100% legal to use.
Travelling by plane can be a stressful time for most travellers but can be even more unbearable if you are a vaper or smoker. Most people who use a vape kit or who smoke do so as a way to reduce stress. So being in a confined space like an airplane or in an airport can raise stress levels if you don't have any nicotine.
We would highly recommend heavy smokers or vapers to use a discreet and legal nicotine product while flying to help manage your stress levels.
Technically, you should be able to recharge a vape battery on a plane as it is classified as a Personal Electrical Device (PED) [2] similar to a laptop or a mobile phone. However, most airlines would not recommend that you recharge your vape battery on a plane. Airline staff may take the view that you are trying to use your vape on a plane even though you are just trying to recharge your batteries.
So it is our recommendation that you do not recharge your vape battery on a plane to ensure you have a smooth travel experience.
If you do recharge your vape battery on a plane and you are asked to stop by airline staff, please respect their request.
As vape and e-cigarette batteries are classified as Personal Electrical Devices, there should be no issues recharging your vape batteries in the airport. Most modern airports have recharging stations with USB ports throughout their terminals which are designed to allow travellers to conveniently recharge their electrical devices.
Similar to other vapes and e-cigarettes, you can take disposable vapes on a plane in your hand luggage. We would recommend that you pack your disposable vapes in the same manner as we described previously.
If you want to take your disposable vapes on a plane, you should follow these helpful tips:
- Keep your disposable vapes in their original packaging. If you have a disposable vape that has removed from the packaging, you should wrap each disposable vape individually.
- Place all your individually packaged and wrapped disposable vapes in a clear plastic bag so you can easily remove them while you go through the security check-in.
- Do not use your disposable vape when you are on the plane or be tempted to use your disposable vape in the plane's toilets.
We would also recommend that you check with the airline to ensure what their policy is for how many disposable vapes you are permitted to take on a plane.
- Virgin Atlantic - does not set a limit to the number of disposable vapes you can take on a plane in your carry-on luggage.
- British Airways - states a maximum of 15 lithium-ion batteries are permitted to be carried in your hand luggage. [3]
- Ryan Air - the maximum number of disposable vapes they permit is 20 and must be stored in your carry-on luggage.
- easyJet - at the time of writing this article, easyjet does not specify a limit to the number of disposable vapes that you can take in your hand luggage.
- Jet2 - the maximum number of PED's allowed on a Jet2 flight are 15 per traveller and must be stored in your hand luggage.
If you are using a disposable vape and you want to travel on a plane with them, please remember that you cannot under any circumstances use your disposable vape while on the airplane.
The international laws about vaping are constantly changing and many individual countries have their own rules and regulations. So before you take your vape on a plane, it is very important to understand what the vaping laws are in your destination country.
While it is common knowledge that vaping and using and e-cigarette better than smoking and Public Health England state that "vaping is up to 95% less harmful than smoking traditional cigarettes" [4], many countries around the world have take a draconian stance on the use and importation of e-cigarettes into their country.
Some of the countries where vaping is illegal include:
Argentina, Brazil, Brunei, Cambodia, Colombia, Indonesia, India, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Panama, Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uruguay, Venezuela and Vietnam
The following countries have various limitations and restrictions to the use or importing vapes:
Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Norway, Japan and the USA.
As the international laws are always changing, it is important to speak with your airline or travel agent to check on the legal status of vaping in the destination country you are travelling to.
An example of how quickly the vaping laws can change in an individual country, Australia recently announced that you can only get therapeutic vapes provided by a licensed pharmacy with a prescription from a doctor [5]. SMOKO used to send hundreds of orders to Australia every month up until January 1st 2024.
So it's best to be prepared before you take your vapes on a plane for a business or a holiday and check to ensure you are allowed to bring your vaping products into the country.
In this article, we covered a range of topics relating to the common question asked by 1,000's of vapers everyday - Can I Take My Vape On A Plane. Most airlines do allow you to take your vape on the airplane as long as they are packed properly and stored in your hand luggage. However, the use a vape while you are on a plane is strictly forbidden and could result in severe fines and possible ban from future flights.
Before you pack up your bikini's and budgie-smugglers, your sunscreen and your flip flops, speak to your airline to ensure you are able to take your vapes on a plane!
[1] Heathrow Airport Smoking Areas
[2] UK Civil Aviation Authority Personal Electronic Devices
[3] British Airways Restricted and Prohibited Items
[4] Public Health England UK Government E-Cigarettes around 95% less harmful than tobacco review
1) Article on the science of Nicotine
2) Study on absorption of freebase nicotine vs nic salt
4) Article on how Nicotine Salts work
5) Public Health England's statement on the safety of E-Cigarettes compared to cigarettes
6) Lawsuits against E-Cigarette Companies for use of Nicotine Salts and other practices
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Written by Dan Overgage
Dan Overgage is a former smoker of 10 years until he became a client of SMOKO E-Cigarettes. Dan started working with SMOKO 5 years ago after successfully quitting using our e-cigarettes and works across our Customer Service and heads up our content creation and research with a strong focus on all things quitting smoking. During his tenure with SMOKO, Dan has written countless blogs and consults with countless clients every day to help them to stay smoke-free.
]]>1) ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) Study showing what people thought about e-cigarettes
2) Public Health England's statement on the safety of E-Cigarettes compared to cigarettes
3) Cancer Research Study on E-Cigarettes being 97% less harmful than cigarettes
4) Article on the extreme danger of smoking
5) Study on how cigarettes affect on neurological conditions
6) National Institute of Health study on exhaled vapour composing of over 99.9% water and glycerine
7) Study on how chemicals in tobacco make nicotine absorption easier
8) The NHS on using E-Cigarettes to stop smoking
10) Article on reactions by experts on the ASH study
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Written by Dan Overgage
Dan Overgage – is a former smoker of 10 years until he became a client of SMOKO E-Cigarettes. Dan started working with SMOKO 5 years ago after successfully quitting using our e-cigarettes and works across our Customer Service and heads up our content creation and research with a strong focus on all things quitting smoking. During his tenure with SMOKO, Dan has written countless blogs and consults with countless clients every day to help them to stay smoke-free.
]]>Not all vapes are being banned in the UK, just disposable vapes (1). From the increased rate of youth vaping with disposables and marketing tactics towards youngsters, to the environmental impact of plastics and lithium going to waste, as well as waste management safety concerns, the reasons for the ban on disposables are few but very strong.
In recent years, the vaping industry has experienced a surge in popularity across the United Kingdom, with millions of adults turning to e-cigarettes as an alternative to traditional tobacco smoking (2).
This shift has not only reshaped the smoking landscape but has also sparked intense debates and raised significant concerns regarding the safety, health implications, and regulation of vaping products. As vaping continues to divide public opinion, and as health experts grapple with mounting evidence, we find ourselves at a crucial juncture in the journey of vaping in the UK.
In this blog, we embark on an exploration of the current status of vaping regulations and the looming possibility of bans. We'll delve into the intricacies of the vaping industry in the UK, discuss the recent debates and concerns surrounding vaping, and ultimately seek to shed light on what the future holds for this controversial but rapidly evolving industry.
The vaping landscape in the United Kingdom has undergone a significant transformation in recent years. Taking a historical perspective, vaping regulations in the UK initially began as a response to the emerging e-cigarette market and the need for oversight. Over time, regulations have become more comprehensive, reflecting the evolving understanding of vaping.
One notable aspect of this landscape is the popularity of vaping as a smoking cessation tool, one that evidence indicates could be more effective than other forms of nicotine replacement (3). Vaping has gained widespread recognition as a less harmful alternative to traditional tobacco smoking, with numerous studies supporting its efficacy in helping smokers quit, and Public Health England’s review of the evidence found E-Cigarettes to be at least 95% less harmful than smoking. This has contributed to a substantial increase in the number of vapers in the UK, further solidifying its role as a harm reduction strategy.
The growth of the vaping industry has not only provided smokers with alternatives but has also had a notable economic impact, creating jobs and generating revenue – the UK vaping industry turnover stood at about £1.325 billion (4). However, this growth has also triggered debates about the need for stricter regulations to ensure product safety, marketing ethics, and protection for non-smokers and youth.
Public health officials have been actively engaged in voicing their concerns about vaping, with a primary concern on the rising prevalence of vaping among youth (5). These concerns have prompted government agencies and regulatory bodies to reassess and adapt vaping regulations in light of the huge number of disposable vapes found to contain illegal levels of e-liquid that under 18’s are managing to get their hands on.
Investigations from the Daily Mail opened the floodgate, with the Elf Bar 600 range in several big UK stores found to be in breach of the 2ml maximum of e-liquid allowed – by quite a margin: on average they were overfilled by 50% above the legal limit.
British American Tobacco (BAT) conducted tests without publishing the results, though they did send them to Trading Standards and the UK regulatory body, the MHRA. The disposable vapes tested by BAT included Elf Bar 600, Lost Mary, Found Mary, IVG Bar, Klik Klak, SKE Crystal, Smok Mbar Pro and Solo models. All were, allegedly, found to have illegal levels of e-liquid.
Vaping regulations in the UK have evolved to address the unique challenges posed by electronic cigarettes. Currently, the regulatory landscape is characterized by a blend of stringent controls and measures aimed at striking a balance between providing adults with smoking alternatives and safeguarding public health. These include limits on the strength of e-liquid, amount of e-liquid sold in a single container and the exclusion of harmful chemicals.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) plays a pivotal role in this framework by overseeing the licensing and approval of certain vaping products as medicinal devices, ensuring their safety and quality. Additionally, marketing and advertising of vape products are subject to strict restrictions to prevent the glamorization of vaping and its appeal to young audiences.
These regulations are reinforced by age restrictions that prohibit the sale of vape products to individuals under 18 years old, thereby addressing concerns related to underage vaping and access to these products. As we navigate the intricate web of vaping regulations in the UK, it becomes evident that disposable vapes have managed to avoid these regulations.
Aside from breaking the TRPR (Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016) and TPD (Tobacco Products Directive 2014) which were put in place to protect the consumer, higher levels of e-liquid are a concern if youngsters get hold of them. As the majority of disposable vapes are coming from China, there is also concern over the quality of ingredients being used in Chinese-made e-liquid as disposable vapes circumvent the regulations in place for E-Cigarettes sold in the UK.
Nicotine use on a developing brain is thought to increase addictive behaviour and could harm parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood and impulse control (6). These are all essential functions for young people working through school to perform at their best. With this in mind, the need to protect the youth and prevent them from obtaining nicotine-containing products is obvious.
Concern over youth vaping is growing due to the increased numbers of youngsters trying vaping according to polls and school’s finding students vaping on site. Looking at the packaging of some of these disposable vapes, it is hard to argue that the bright colours, flavour names and appropriation of sweet names like Skittles aren’t marketing tactics targeting youngsters. Given the strict rules on packaging for tobacco products because they contain nicotine, it is a wonder that the same strict rules weren’t applied to disposable vapes in the first place.
It may be impossible to prevent youngsters from trying things like vaping throughout their entire childhood, however the damage done from using disposable vapes is exacerbated by having more than the legal level of e-liquid. If a disposable vape is overfilled by 50%, then that’s an extra 1ml of e-liquid – at the legal maximum of a 2% strength, that extra 1ml contains 20mg of nicotine, making the total contents of an illegal disposable vape 60mg instead of 40mg for a 2ml legal vape. This translates to about 30 cigarettes worth of nicotine the user absorbs.
A study examining data from 215,000 people from Australia, New Zealand, the United States and the UK indicated that it only takes one cigarette to become addicted. These illegal disposable vapes contain 30 cigarettes worth of nicotine, potentially cementing a nicotine addiction by the time it’s finished.
Another large concern brought about by the increase in disposable vape use is the sheer amount of waste! It is estimated that about 5 million disposable vapes are thrown away each week in the UK (7) with many ending up on the streets or in general waste. One UK waste disposable management service, Grundon, found they were picking up between 100 to 150 disposable vapes by road sweeping in an eight-hour shift!
The way disposable vapes are made makes them challenging to recycle. As sealed units, it is hard to take them apart in order to recycle effectively, they contain nicotine which means they are also classed as hazardous waste, they contain electronics and a lithium battery so belong to a category of waste known as WEEE (or ‘e-waste’) which stands for ‘waste electrical and electronic equipment’. This lack-of-ease when it comes to disposal is one of the reasons that so many disposable vapes end up in general waste.
Is it such a problem that disposable vapes end up in general waste? Yes, for several reasons. Lithium is a finite resource and used in batteries all over the world so the responsible course of action is to ensure it is recycled whenever possible. A more immediate reason would be the dangers disposable vapes present for waste disposal personnel and establishments; Material Focus, who run the ‘Recycle Your Electricals’ campaign, found that more than 700 fires in bin lorries and recycling centres were caused by batteries placed in general waste. Grundon has installed fire detection equipment costing £250k at each facility after several fires at one of their sites. This could lead to increased waste management contract costs, translating to an increase in your local council tax!
The nature of the vaping ban should avoid impacting the use of vaping as a smoking cessation tool for adults by targeting the line of products that have the least protections in place – responsible vape companies will always check for identification at the point of sale or use an online verification process in the event of online sales.
It is typical that the places where youngsters are being sold the vapes illegally are the ‘corner shop’ and tech style stores, selling other products alongside disposable vapes and show little concern other than making money. In these cases, higher fines and severe punishments for those caught selling to under 18’s will be the best deterrent.
Other than ensuring that responsible vape stores remain unaffected, there is little to argue against with regard to the banning of disposable vapes. Some may argue that limiting the availability of single-use vapes may lead to a relapse in smoking in the event a vaper is caught without refills or e-liquid, however taking personal responsibility to ensure you are never caught without is the answer here.
There are always alternatives to vaping for getting your nicotine, too, from nicotine replacement therapy products (NRT) to Snus nicotine pouches placed in the mouth, that could see a vaper through until they can get to a vape store or their delivery of vape goods arrive. Maybe there is an element of subjectiveness here, but I would rather have a few days without nicotine (knowing that youth vaping has been reduced) than have a fall-back on disposable vapes if I find myself caught without.
It was announced on the 28th January 2024 that disposable vapes are being banned in the UK. This disposable vape ban is part of government plans to tackle the rise in youth vaping. Exactly when this disposable vape ban will come in to force is not yet known, but users of disposables will need to look elsewhere to get their nicotine - so consider SMOKO E-Cigarettes!
So – not all vapes are being banned in the UK, but plans are being drawn up to ban the sale of disposable vapes to help protect the youth and the environment. This is a win for vapers, vape companies, waste management companies, parents, under 18’s and society as a whole!
At SMOKO, our vape devices use rechargeable batteries and refills pre-filled with our UK-made e-liquid, held to the high standards set forth by the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority (MHRA). You can even recycle your empty refills with us for free!
While disposable vapes are presenting problems for society, vape companies like us at SMOKO are helping smokers to quit cigarettes every day in an environmentally responsible way, while saving money!
If you are a smoker looking to quit tobacco for good, then check out our great vape starter kit deals and make the switch with SMOKO today!
(2) Use of e-cigarettes (vapes) among adults in Great Britain
(4) UK Vaping Industry Association Annual Report 2022
(5) 2022 Survey shows youth e-cigarettes epidemic remains a serious public health threat
(6) Quick Facts on the Risks of E-Cigarettes for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults
(7) Number of disposable single-use vapes thrown away have in a year quadrupled to 5 million per week
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Written by Dan Overgage
Dan Overgage – is a former smoker of 10 years until he became a client of SMOKO E-Cigarettes. Dan started working with SMOKO 5 years ago after successfully quitting using our e-cigarettes and works across our Customer Service and heads up our content creation and research with a strong focus on all things quitting smoking. During his tenure with SMOKO, Dan has written countless blogs and consults with countless clients every day to help them to stay smoke-free.
]]>A spitting vape normally involves too much e-liquid being in or around the coil. Too low power for your choice of e-liquid can cause the e-liquid to collect around the coil leading the liquid to be cooked rather than vaporised, which can cause spitting. Excess liquid getting into the chimney from drawing too hard can also result in some e-liquid coming out of the mouthpiece!
Is your vape spitting, or maybe your vape is gurgling uncontrollably?
Quitting smoking by switching to vaping is a great way to quit – not only is vaping at least 95% less harmful than cigarettes (according to Public Health England) but a study by the Oxford University indicates it could be up to twice as effective as other nicotine replacement products!
One of the reasons this may be is that vaping aims to provide nicotine to tackle a smoker’s nicotine craving, but in a way that is enjoyable like smoking a cigarette!
As E-Cigarettes not only help with the chemical addiction, but the physiological addiction (replicating the feel of holding a device and feeling the vapour in your lungs) it's no wonder that millions of smokers in the UK have made the switch with E-Cigarettes.
For quitting with an E-Cigarette to be as successful as possible it’s essential that the vaping experience is enjoyable and hassle-free! So when your vape starts spitting it can impact your confidence with the device as well as get you a bit of e-liquid in your mouth – which doesn’t taste as nice as the vaporised aerosol that your vape kit is meant to produce!
A gurgling vape normally involves an excess of e-liquid in some shape or form, however the reasons it happens can vary somewhat. Let’s look at why your vape is spitting and what you can do to solve it!
If your vape is spitting then we can assume that you are using a vape mod (sometimes called a box mod) or a vape pen.These devices allow some customisation so you can often choose a tank, coil and mouthpiece that suits you. As we will see by answering the question ‘why is my vape spitting’ this can sometimes be a curse rather than a blessing!
Filling your tank too high – As excess liquid is the main cause of a gurgling vape, filling the tank more than you need to could be causing all of your vape spitting problems.
Drawing or inhaling too hard – if you have a lot of e-liquid in your tank, the laws of physics dictate that the sucking action could lead to liquid making its way up the chimney and into your mouth.
Excess liquid in the chimney/centre post – As the sucking action happens through the chimney, this is where any excess liquid will get drawn into, potentially creating a seal that would lead to a strong inhale pulling that liquid out of the mouthpiece, into your mouth.
Over-saturated coil – this isn’t always caused by having too much liquid in your tank, it could be due to a crack in the tank or be down to coils that have been used for a while. An over-saturated coil is when there is too much liquid in the wicking material which leads to some of it ‘cooking’ instead of vaporising. This ‘cooking’ of the e-liquid can cause spitting.
Avoid filling your tank right to the top - This will prevent e-liquid trying to escape wherever it can and should encourage your vape to function as intended.
Try not to inhale with all your strength - If you are having to suck hard on your device to get anything out of it, chances are something is going wrong so check out these other explanations to tackle what may be causing your vape issues.
Clean your mouthpiece and chimney or centre post – performing regular maintenance is a great way to ensure your device is functioning optimally, that includes cleaning your vape! Using tissue or a cotton bud to clean the inside of the mouthpiece and the chimney will keep them clear of any liquid that happens to make its way up towards your mouth.
Don’t over-saturate the coil – Particularly when fitting a coil, try not to over-do it when it comes to adding liquid to the wicking material. You may be desperate to get vaping but letting your vape sit for 5 minutes will help to naturally saturate the wicking material next to the coils, instead of users adding an excess of liquid.
So you are experiencing a spitting vape – what can you do about it right here and now?
The good news is that this spit won't be harmful to you in these quantities, it will just be annoying. The CDC says that you need to drink about 50 to 60 milligrams of nicotine for it to be dangerous. To put that in perspective, one of our E-Cigarette refills (that has about 50 cigarettes worth of nicotine in) has a total of 1 milligram of nicotine.
That means you would have to drink 50 e-cigarette worth of liquid to even approach dangerous levels.
To get this fixed:
Try flicking the tank – a flick of your tank may help to dislodge or encourage any e-liquid that has climbed up the centre post, but a bit of tissue or a cotton bud may be able to achieve the same effect without having to empty your tank and perform a full clean.
Activate your vape battery before inhaling – This should get the e-liquid around the coil up to temperature so when you inhale it is vaporised and not still in liquid form. Try hitting the fire-button a few times until the popping sound stops.
Reduce airflow – If your vape or E-Cigarette has airflow control, reducing the airflow can help. This means that the liquid isn’t as quick to come away from the coil, ensuring it gets vaporised. You can try to take smaller inhales for a similar effect or if your device doesn’t have airflow control.
Increase the power – If you have a vape device with control over the power then increasing the power output can help to ensure the e-liquid at the coil is entirely vaporised. If you are using a disposable vape, then you won't have this option.
Change your coil – Over time, the wicking material around the coil can reduce in volume, making it easier to oversaturate. Changing to a new coil with fresh wicking material should mean it’s harder to over-saturate. A different type of coil may also improve how your device behaves with the e-liquid you choose – thicker e-liquids will do better with a multi-coil set up due to the improved surface area in contact with the e-liquid.
Change your e-liquid – The balance of Vegetable Glycerine (VG) to Propylene Glycol (PG) determines how thick your liquid is and therefore how easy it is to vaporise, but the thinner liquids may well find it easier to leak out of a crack in your tank or into the airflow. Liquids that favour higher levels of VG are thicker and so require a more powerful device to vaporise – this could be the source of your problem, so check what device works best with your e-liquid.
In case you hadn’t noticed, there are quite a few causes for a spitting vape.
While the root cause is that you can be getting an excess of e-liquid somewhere, you may have to engage in some trial and error to isolate and solve the problem. You need to ensure you have spare coils, some cleaning utensils, possibly a different type of e-liquid or even a spare tank!
Even then, you may not be able to solve the issue when you are out and about, or it may require commandeering a table to lay out all your gear to begin the process of solving the problem. This is one reason why vape mods may not be the best vape kit for beginners and those who want a hassle-free vape kit.
This is where using a pre-filled device has the upper hand.
Pre-filled vape kits, like the SMOKO E-Cigarette and SMOKO VAPE POD, are designed with specific e-liquids in mind, found in the replaceable refills that also contain a fresh atomizer every time you change refills. This means there is no chance of using an inappropriate e-liquid and no atomizer deterioration to worry about.
No spare tanks needed, you just change your refill in the rare case you manage to cause some damage to the one currently in use.
No over-saturating your coil. The device is designed to be used with the e-liquid found in the refill so is the correct consistency for the fixed power output.
No leaking as the refills contain the atomizer and e-liquid in a small but sturdy container, overfilling isn’t an issue here either!
Smaller devices might also be more helpful to help you quit as well, according to a study by Cancer Research UK. They found that higher nicotine liquids with a low amount of vapour (like our our pre-filled devices) help new smokers quit more than lower nicotine e-liquids in larger mods which produce alot of vapour.
Choosing to vape with a vape mod or vape pen certainly has its challenges and for many smokers looking to quit, these can be a lot of extra work than necessary.
Solving issues for these vapes, like when your vape is spitting, on-the-go can be problematic or even impossible if you don’t have the right gear and you don’t happen to be near a vape shop that happens to have what you need to get things fixed. Finding yourself in this situation with a nicotine craving is a recipe for disaster and could lead to purchasing a low-quality vape or e-liquid – or even lead to a relapse through buying a pack of cigarettes.
At SMOKO, we are all about helping people to quit smoking and making it as easy as possible.
Quitting smoking is tough and we aim to take as much of the stress out of it as we can – we believe that pre-filled devices make things easiest for quitters and reduce the potential difficulties to an absolute minimum. Even carrying a spare E-Cigarette or VAPE POD on you is no stress because they are so small, convenient and a lot cheaper than buying a spare vape mod!
Don’t just take our word for it – check out our vaping reviews and see what our customers think of our vape kits that contain our fantastic UK made e-liquid, regulated by the UK’s MHRA for a high-quality product that is, according to Public Health England, at least 95% less harmful than smoking!
Make the Switch with SMOKO today by checking out the best vape kits UK deals below!
1) Public Health England's statement on the safety of E-Cigarettes compared to cigarettes
3) ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) article on the use of E-Cigarettes in the UK
4) CDC breakdown of nicotine and how much is dangerous
5) Cancer Research UK study on the affect of low nicotine e-liquid vs. high liquid
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Written by Dan Overgage
Dan Overgage is a former smoker of 10 years until he became a client of SMOKO E-Cigarettes. Dan started working with SMOKO 5 years ago after successfully quitting using our e-cigarettes and works across our Customer Service and heads up our content creation and research with a strong focus on all things quitting smoking. During his tenure with SMOKO, Dan has written countless blogs and consults with countless clients every day to help them to stay smoke-free.
]]>It is hard to deny that there is an element the disposable vape industry that is targeting their marketing towards underage teens. The presence of disposable vapes in sweet shops with brightly coloured packaging, some of which even mimic known sweet brands, indicate there is at least a contingent of disposable vape manufacturers that are trying to catch the interest of people too young to vape.
Disposable vapes have made the news yet again!
Having come under fire after testing revealed many disposable vapes are overfilled, containing illegal levels of e-liquid, disposable vapes have made the headlines once more.
Designed to be used as a smoking cessation device, E-Cigarettes and disposable vape devices are meant to be a harm reduction tool that eliminates most of the harm from smoking. As this is the ‘new form of smoking’, it is understandable that the adventurous youths may have their curiosity piqued by vaping, just like they have with smoking in the years previous.
The legal age restrictions make it a ‘taboo’ of sorts for youngsters, an indication of ‘maturity’ (or so they think!) to impress others and/or to feel like an adult. However, having seen the marketing of vapes toward the youth in America by JUUL (1), it has become clear that some in the vaping industry are eliminating the ‘mature’ perception of vaping in favour of appealing to younger customers.
Sadly, this is present in the UK as well!
E-Cigarettes and vapes function by heating a liquid known as ‘e-liquid’ or ‘vape juice’ into an aerosol or ‘vapour’, which is inhaled by the user. E-liquid contains nicotine which is absorbed into the blood via the lungs, helping vapers satisfy the urge to smoke by delivering nicotine to the body in an action that is almost identical to smoking!
The delivery of nicotine in a way that resembles smoking may be the reason for the success of the E-Cigarette as a smoking cessation tool; studies indicate they could be up to twice as effective as other forms of nicotine replacement therapy! (2)
The important thing to remember about E-Cigarettes produced in the UK is that they are held to a high standard of regulations by the TPD and TRPR directives, which may explain why Public Health England and the Royal College of Physicians agree that E-Cigarettes are at least 95% less harmful than tobacco cigarettes!
The TPD and TRPR regulations enforce a high standard on E-Cigarettes and vapes produced in the UK, banning flavourings known to be harmful when inhaled, like diacetyl which is known to be associated with the condition ‘popcorn lung’ when inhaled at high volumes – this hasn’t been seen from E-Cigarette use despite the headlines – and chemicals that break down into diacetyl, like acetoin and pentanedione.
Other regulations that are in place include a restriction on the size of the e-liquid tank (3), whether it is a replaceable tank on a big vape mod device or the tank inside a disposable vape. This is where disposables have been in trouble recently, with the Daily Mail investigation revealing the Elf Bar 600 range in several stores in the UK were overfilled on average by over 50%, breaking the legal limit of 2ml.
A second investigation conducted by British American Tobacco (BAT) said they found this to be the case for most disposable vape brands in the UK after conducting their own tests, the results of which they did not share publicly, but did send to trading standards.
Just like smoking, there are age restrictions on vaping primarily due to the addictive substance, nicotine. The long terms effects of vaping still need to be studied and these unknowns are reason enough to restrict the use of E-Cigarettes by those with bodies and brains that are still developing.
The Daily Mail conducted an investigation spanning weeks, exploring sweet shops on Oxford Street, a retail centre of London, UK. Two of the stores selling sweets and candy, House of Candy (also called Candy World) and Prime Candy also stocked disposable vapes (4). This alone is a warning sign as you need to be over 18 to buy a vape of any kind. Why would a specialised retailer waste shelf space on something that is not targeted at their main customer base?
In store, some of the disposable vape displays fit in too well with the colourful packaging and displays of sweets. Particularly damning is the existence of disposable vape devices that mimic the packaging and/or names of well-known children’s sweets and drinks.
It is not unreasonable to deliver products with desirable flavours, even adults can have a sweet tooth, however using words to describe the flavour on plain packaging seems like the right answer here. Instead, colourful packaging and images on it are being used which is indicative of trying to appeal to younger people.
These ‘rip-off’ disposable vapes available in some of these stores include ‘Jolly Ranger’ a copy of Jolly Rancher sweets, ‘Rubison Bar’ a copy of Rubicon drink, ‘Skitle’ a copy of Skittles sweets, and ‘Caliypso’ which copies the beloved ice lolly, Calypso. While the brand names are close, the packaging and images on them try to mimic that of their candy counterpart – and this is the ‘smoking gun’.
Tobacco products have strict rules to follow for the packaging that is allowed in the UK; being plain, informative and a little scary with the images of smoking related disease that are now included on the packaging. This makes plain the risks associated with tobacco use for the purchaser. Vapes do not have the same restrictions.
Another uncomfortable fact is that some of these disposable vape companies use cartoon characters from both adult and children’s cartoons. This includes Bart Simpson from The Simpsons, minions from the Despicable Me/Minions franchise, both of which cartoons are aimed at youngsters. I’m sure the companies in question would argue that they are aiming for a feeling of nostalgia, however this is tenuous at best and isn’t replicated in marketing practices for other products.
One way to measure whether these marketing tactics are being effective is to look at the current situation in schools across the UK.
A new device known as the VapeGuardian has been developed and is now being used in 77 schools across Ireland and the UK. The device features sensors to detect E-Cigarette vapour and immediately sends an alert to a designated teacher when it is activated. The data produced from these devices suggests they are being set off by a vaping student between 17 and 22 times a day.
It is positive that schools that have installed the device have seen the instances of vaping half after a single week, continuing to reduce as the weeks pass. This could mean the VapeGuardian is having the desired effect of preventing students from vaping or it may mean that students are ‘wising up’ to the device locations and are taking steps to avoid vaping near them.
Other sources of information indicate a worrying trend, with a report from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) finding the number of 11 to 17 year olds currently vaping jumped from 4% in 2020 to 7% in 2022. Another statistic from the report was that about 3% of children aged 11 to 15 had tried vaping and this rose to 10% by 2022.
Neil O’Brien, the Minister for Public Health, has reportedly begun to ask for evidence to justify a clampdown on disposable vapes. This has suggested that a ban on certain flavoured disposable vapes could result from the review.
The review itself intends to look at the appearance and characteristics of vaping products currently on sale, examining the marketing and branding in addition to the flavours available.
One way that kids may be getting around the age restrictions is purchasing online. Disposable Vapes are available on Amazon and can even be purchased through Deliveroo’s delivery services! This presents a problem as it can be as easy as checking a ‘tick box’ when buying online to confirm you are over 18. Some delivery services may ask for ID on delivery but there are likely to be exceptions and ways of circumventing this step.
This does mean that the purchaser is committing fraud to get their disposable vapes and this problem is likely to be harder to tackle without impacting businesses significantly. Making online purchasing of E-Cigarettes require online verification or having an account or membership may help to combat teens acquiring disposable vapes by means of fraud.
It was announced on the 28th January 2024 that disposable vapes are being banned in the UK (6). This disposable vape ban is part of government plans to tackle the rise in youth vaping. Exactly when this disposable vape ban will come in to force is not yet known, but users of disposables will need to look elsewhere to get their nicotine - so consider SMOKO E-Cigarettes!
It may not be happening everywhere, but marketing of disposable vapes is occurring even in the UK. While it is encouraging that studies show that vaping does not act as a gateway to smoking, nicotine may be harmful to the developing youngster as a large number of changes occur in the brain during adolescence. Studies indicate that using nicotine as an adolescent may increase the addictive behaviour and could alter some emotional and cognitive functions.
For these reasons it is important to protect the youth from vaping. In order to do this, better enforcement of the law needs to occur, and the marketing practices mentioned in this article addressed.
E-Cigarettes were designed as a harm-reduction tool for smokers and are proving to be a successful way to quit cigarettes. If you are a smoker, over 18 years old and looking to quit smoking, then check out our range of starter kit deals below!
At SMOKO we use UK-made e-liquids in our refills, rechargeable batteries and have a free recycling program so you can recycle your empty refills with us for free!
Make the switch with SMOKO today!
(1) FDA Denies Authorization to Market JUUL Products
(3) E-cigarettes: regulations for consumer products
(5) 'Vape alarms' installed in schools as shocking figures show they trigger 20 times a day
(6) The Education Hub: Disposable vape ban and what it means for young people
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After the discovery of cheap disposable vapes containing illegal levels of e-liquid, we have seen a knock-on effect in the E-Cigarette and vaping industry here in the UK as the illegal activity doesn’t end there; a growing concern over the number of young people getting their hands on vaping products is present and valid, with NHS figures indicating that 9% of 11 to 15 year olds used E-Cigarettes in 2021 [3].
In response to these recent discoveries, Minister Neil O’Brien gave a speech on the Smokefree 2030 policy that is aimed at cutting smoking rates, focusing on tackling these illegal products and preventing kids from vaping.
In his speech as part of the Smokefree 2030 policy, Minister O'Brien announced a plan to distribute 1 million free E-Cigarette starter kits in a 'swap to stop' scheme to encourage smokers to quit using an E-Cigarette.
The E-Cigarette was invented by Hon Lik, a man from China whose father died from a smoking related disease. His aim was to create a less harmful alternative to smoking.
Fast forward to today and after several generations of E-Cigarette technology we are now in the position where there are a range of different types of E-Cigarette, each delivering a slightly different experience, but all use e-liquid which is the substance that is being vaporised and inhaled.
E-liquid is made up from a balance of propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerine (VG), and can also contain flavourings and the substance that smokers are addicted to: nicotine.
The types of E-Cigarette include the cigalike style that is designed to look and feel like a traditional cigarette, vape pens that are a little bigger and may have a refillable tank, vape mods that allow for customisation and a higher degree of control, and mech mods that are for the experienced vapers who are happy calculating the resistance of the circuit for their mech mod to be used safely.
At SMOKO, we use pre-filled, low powered systems with a 80/20 PG to VG balance which together delivers a real smoking sensation that many of our customers are looking for! In addition, we use UK made e-liquid that is held to a high standard by the regulatory agency, the MHRA. Our devices are tested with our e-liquid to ensure the highest levels of quality!
Disposable vapes have become somewhat their own category, with the shapes and designs departing from the likeness of the other styles of E-Cigarette available. The key theme with disposable vapes is that they are pre-filled and can be used until the e-liquid is gone, or until the battery dies. The majority, if not all, disposable vapes are made in China who do not allow e-liquid into the country to be used in their products – which means they all contain Chinese-made e-liquid.
An investigation by the Daily Mail into the Elf bar 600 [4] range, bought from several supermarkets in the UK, found that they contained more than the legal level of e-liquid.
In the UK, the maximum tank size is 2ml, which means that disposable vapes should have no more than 2ml of e-liquid inside: the investigation found the Elf bar 600s were overfilled, on average, by over 50%.
British American Tobacco (BAT) conducted some independent lab testing on disposable vaping products and sent letters to distributors and trading standards as many other models were also significantly overfilled. They did not publish the results, and the results were contested by manufacturers, however it looks like this was true as the Lost Mary model disposable vapes mentioned in BAT’s statement were found to have upwards of 3ml in Sainsburys and Asda stores.
In addition to the illegal levels of e-liquid, there is an argument being made that some disposable vapes are being marketed towards young teens or children. While this doesn’t appear to break any rules or regulations, disposable vapes contain the controlled substance ‘nicotine’ which is only legal to buy in any form if you are over 18 years of age.
The fact that youth vaping rates appear to be growing means there is an appeal for vaping to young people. Whether it is the usual ‘wanting to appear mature or cool’ or an adventurous nature or trying new things, these vapes should not be finding their way into the hands of the youth because they contain nicotine.
The Daily Mail, continuing their investigations into disposable vapes, examined stores in London’s Oxford Street, a famous retail hub. In two candy stores, disposable vapes were on display in bright and colourful packaging, fitting right in with the bright and colourful packaging of the sweets on offer. Eye-catching marketing techniques used for children’s sweets has no place in the vaping industry.
Perhaps most damning is the appearance of cartoon characters and mis-spelled well-known sweets used on some of the packaging of these disposable vapes. Characters used include Bart Simpson from the Simpsons, minions from the ‘Despicable Me’ and ‘Minions’ movie franchise. Sweet names used include Jolly Rangers (Jolly Ranchers sweets), Rubison (Rubicon drink), Skitle (Skittles sweets) and Caliypso (Calypso ice lolly).
There is little doubt these practices are unashamedly aimed at youngsters.
The additional aims of the Smokefree 2030 policy are:
The government is already working with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Trading Standards to agree the withdrawal of some of the illegal products, like the Elf Bar 600s, that have made their way onto the UK shelves. While this is a start, this area of the market is likely to be filled by competitors, many of whom also appear to be breaching UK regulation.
There is an intention to produce guidance to help retailers comply with the rules, increasing efforts to remove illegal products from the shelves and from coming into the country, and endeavour to test more products to make sure they comply with the UK regulations.
The speech from Minister Neil O’Brien outlined the steps being taken or considered to achieve these ends, as well as touching on the environmental impact of disposable vapes. According to O’Brien, over 1.3 million disposable vapes are thrown away each week, working out to approximately 10 tonnes of lithium a year that is going to landfill.
In 2022, 52% if youngsters who vaped did so with a disposable product, compared to 8% in 2021. Why this is occurring is likely to be down to the availability of disposable vapes, and retailers who aren’t invested in protecting the youth but instead care more about making a quick £5. Minister O’Brien intends to examine the marketing practices of these disposable vapes and increase the penalty for selling to minors up to £10,000 from £2,500 which can be applied to the staff member who made the sale and the business owner.
Minister O’Brien stated an intention to work with enforcement agencies, providing £3 million of funding to create a ‘flying squad’ to enforce rules on vaping and to tackle the sales of illegal vapes and selling to under 18’s. This, coupled with increased fines for selling to under 18’s, is likely to have the largest impact on keeping vapes out of the hands of young people.
A new UK-wide system for tracking and tracing tobacco products is already in place, but it isn’t clear how or if this extends to vaping products. It is clear that, for tobacco products, those selling illegal products could have their stock seized and their Economic Operator ID removed, preventing them from buying or selling tobacco.
Currently, the evidence indicates that vaping does not act as a gateway to smoking, so while there are adjustments to tobacco products suggested in the plan, these will have little effect on the prevalence of youth vaping.
In his speech, Minister O’Brien references the studies that provide evidence that E-Cigarettes are a more successful stop-smoking tool than current forms of Nicotine Replacement Therapy that includes nicotine patches, nicotine gum and nicotine lozenges. International research also indicates that smokers who use a vape every day are three times more likely to quit smoking, even if they didn’t intend to! It is estimated that vaping contributes around 50 thousand to 70 thousand additional successful quits in England every year.
This evidence has led to a new plan to distribute 1 million free E-Cigarette starter kits to smokers across the UK! The initiative will start in the Northeast of England, in line with the government’s ‘levelling up plan’ with a view that the poorer areas of the country will see more cash circulation in the area when smokers switch over to vaping.
Smokers will be expected to engage fully in the scheme that promises a free E-Cigarette starter kit for those who commit to behavioural support. This ‘swap to stop’ scheme has been tested and seen to be successful, leading to the scheme being available nationwide over the next two years.
Taking this idea further, financial incentive schemes have been quite effective in encouraging pregnant women to quit. Due to the risks posed to the child from smoking, it is essential that pregnant women get the help they need to quit smoking. Trials of this nature found that women were twice as likely to quit when offered a financial incentive, and even better, the return on investment for these schemes is £4 for every £1 spent, making it financially viable instead of a cash ‘black hole’!
The UKVIA (UK Vaping Industry Association) launched a proposal for a youth prevention action plan that called for fines of up to £10,000 for retailers, including owners and directors, for each instance of being caught selling to minors. This makes selling to kids for a few pounds of profit an incredibly risky transaction that could cost far more to the individuals in charge of the business, making it not worth the risk.
They also suggested a new national registration scheme for retailers to meet strict qualifying criteria in order to sell vape products. This would go a long way to ensuring those in vape shops have confidence when selling their product as well as dealing with a potentially underage customer. It also sets a minimum level of knowledge and understanding for shops in the vaping industry that could help to improve the industry as a whole, eliminating the sellers that consider vaping products as just a means to make some cash instead of a smoking cessation tool that should be taken seriously.
The UKVIA also want to introduce a national test purchasing scheme that would constantly monitor vape retailers to identify those that are selling nicotine products to under 18’s. This will help to enforce the other measures as well as keep vape retailers on their toes! They suggest this would be funded by the fines of those caught breaking the law, as well as the retail registration scheme.
We can all agree that preventing under 18’s from starting to vape and smoke is a good thing. However, there are forces working against the vaping industry that see vaping as just as bad as smoking. According to Public Health England, E-Cigarettes are at least 95% less harmful than traditional cigarettes – but this applies to E-Cigarettes regulated in the UK.
The United States, where the regulation for E-Cigarettes was non-existent in the beginning and ended up at the polar opposite; overbearing and now allowing only tobacco flavours, is where the scary headlines originate. With users adding illicit substances by means of vitamin E acetate, which has been found in the lung samples of all instances of EVALI (E-Cigarette and Vaping Associated Lung Injury).
This sad state of affairs could impact quit smoking rates; research from the UKVIA conducted on 2000 adult vapers found that 1 in 3 vapers fear a flavoured vapes ban would result in them returning to smoking – this could be as many as 1.5 million people – and 8 in 10 said that having a flavoured vape helped them on their road to quit smoking.
It is clear that lines need to be drawn with regard to the marketing of vape products in general, perhaps enforcing a similar restriction to tobacco products in terms of the packaging used: plain and informative. This would certainly reduce youth appeal, making the products not fit in with brightly coloured sweet packets on a sweet shelf, in a children’s sweet shop.
More enforcement needs to occur and finding ways to finance enforcement teams like using a retailer registration scheme are a great idea as it will create a list of authorised retailers that can be checked with relative ease, any retailers selling vapes who are not on the registry could be fined or shut down as a result of breaching the rules.
With these steps, alongside an increased fine for selling to under 18’s, the UK’s vaping industry can maximise the benefits of E-Cigarettes, while minimising or entirely eliminating the risks to those who shouldn’t be vaping – i.e. kids and non-smokers!
At SMOKO, we use online age verification, name our flavours considerately, and use UK-made liquids so you know you are getting all the benefits from UK made and UK regulated E-Cigarettes! You can even recycle your empty refills with us for free and recycle your batteries as you normally would when they no longer recharge after months of use!
While the ‘swap to stop’ scheme starts in the Northeast later this year, why wait for a free E-Cigarette starter kit? You can get a free SMOKO VAPE POD Starter Kit when you buy a box of VAPE POD refills today!
Ready to save money, improve your health while being environmentally considerate? Quit smoking with SMOKO!
1) BAT Testing Data Claims Major Disposable Vaping Brands Contain Illegal Levels of E-liquid
2) Speech by Minister Neil O'Brien on achieving a smoke free Britain
3) NHS and UK government statement on E-Cigarette use among teens
]]>British American Tobacco (BAT) recently conducted tests on Elf Bar, Lost Mary, Found Mary, IVG Bar, Klik Klak, SKE Crystal, Smok Mbar Pro and Solo disposable vapes and found nearly all of them contained illegal levels of e-liquid. In the UK, the maximum amount of e-liquid in a vape is 2ml and this law has been broken by many disposable vape manufacturers, according to BAT.
*2023 Update - Disposable vapes keep making the news, with another investigation finding disposable vapes in bright, sweet themed packaging in sweet shops on London's Oxford Street.
Disposable vapes are in the news yet again, with less than a month since the last news release about illegal levels of e-liquid found in Chinese-made disposable vapes. Previously, it was the Elf Bar 600 range that was found to be over-filled in supermarket stores in several locations in the UK, however now it appears this could be a wide-ranging occurrence in a number of different disposable vape brands.
E-Cigarettes are still relatively new, with regulations in place designed to protect the consumer. In countries with good regulations like the EU and UK, we have seen very little danger presented by E-cigarettes compared to other countries that have been slow to regulate vapes. It may seem arbitrary, however we will examine the reasons why a maximum tank size of 2ml really isn’t a bad idea.
With the introduction of the E-Cigarette, a device for consuming the addictive substance ‘nicotine’ that eliminates the harmful chemicals found in tobacco products, it was essential that regulations be put in place for maximum consumer safety (1). They function by using a battery to heat up e-liquid – the liquid mixture containing nicotine – which is turned into an aerosol or ‘vapour’ that is inhaled by the user for the nicotine to be absorbed by the lungs.
The TRPR and TPD regulations consider what chemicals are typically used for flavouring and placed restrictions on some of these. While flavourings are generally very safe to ingest, inhaling them to the lungs is a slightly different ballgame. Flavourings such as diacetyl that are safe to eat are not so safe to inhale (2) – diacetyl is linked to the condition ‘popcorn lung’ that was first observed in workers of popcorn factories that used diacetyl to flavour the popcorn, which is why diacetyl and flavourings that break down into diacetyl are banned as flavourings for e-liquids in the UK.
To some extent, these regulations are in place to ensure high levels of safety for vapers, but there are also underlying goals that both the UK government and EU want to achieve with regard to cutting the proportion of the population that smoke. This includes the amount of youth smoking and youth vaping (3) that currently occurs.
British American Tobacco sent around 50 pages of test results to wholesalers that indicated nearly all major disposable vape brands contain illegal levels of e-liquid (4). These results were prefaced by a letter from Fredrik Svensson, the managing director of British American Tobacco, who said it commissioned independently accredit laboratory tests on the Elf Bar 600, Lost Mary, Found Mary, IVG Bar, Klik Klak, SKE Crystal, Smok Mbar Pro and Solo disposable vapes. All of those brands were allegedly found to have illegal levels of e-liquid.
The letter urged trading partners to take appropriate steps to ensure they weren’t supplying non-compliant products and to review the supply of any products that the testing indicated do not comply with TRPR and TPD regulations. These results were shared with the UK regulatory body, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA).
The response from disposable vape wholesalers was that the effort to ‘clean up’ the market was welcome, but still challenged the claims made. These wholesalers stated they plan to wait on independent testing and regulatory guidance before taking any action, and implied that BAT’s actions were likely to increase BAT’s share of the vaping market.
You only need to look at the state of vaping in the United States to understand what happens when manufacturers don’t have regulations to adhere to. From the marketing of vape products to children still in school, to the instances of EVALI or ‘E-Cigarette and Vaping Associated Lung Injury’ that have only occurred in vapers who have used vitamin E acetate in their vape juice (which is used to add the psychoactive component of the cannabis plant, THC.)
The complete lack of regulation in the US market made it the Wild West of vaping, which has now been over-corrected; the FDA have banned all flavoured E-Cigs aside from tobacco flavours (5). This is a bit of a shame but, unlike the UK, the authorities in the United States still do not recognise E-Cigarettes as smoking cessation device!
In comparison, the UK and EU markets appear to recognise the value of E-Cigarettes as a smoking cessation device, with Public Health England recommending that they should be available on the NHS to help reduce smoking rates, though this isn’t the case yet. This is in part due to the high level of regulations that make E-Cigarettes in the UK a cut above E-Cigs elsewhere.
The safety of the product is paramount, then there are the marketing aspects that have many people concerned about youth taking up vaping. In the US, vape manufacturer Juul have been banned from selling their products due to their catalogued marketing methods that targeted pupils in middle schools, a practice that is beyond the pale! (This ban is on administrative hold while they review Juul’s marketing application again) (6).
So how does the breaking the maximum tank size rule impact the safety of the product, and specifically the younger people that may get their hands on a vape illegally?
The number one concern is developing a nicotine addiction. Teens are going to push the boundaries and are likely to try things their parents would rather they didn’t, so it makes perfect sense to limit the amount of nicotine in devices they may get their hands on. A limit on the amount of e-liquid in disposable vapes means they are less likely to develop an addiction, but also increases the frequency of illegal transactions that need to be carried out in order to keep them vaping: that means whoever is illegally selling disposable vapes is more likely to get caught which we can all agree is a positive thing!
Secondly, there is the issue of dosing and awareness of your nicotine consumption. If you buy a product that says it contains 2ml when it is actually closer to 3ml or even 4ml, you could be almost doubling your nicotine intake without being aware of it! This is unlikely to lead to any serious overdosing on nicotine for an adult, but for teens who still have a way to grow, their body mass is normally much lower than an adult, which means less nicotine can affect them more severely.
It was announced on the 28th January 2024 that disposable vapes are being banned in the UK (7). This is part of government plans to tackle the rise in youth vaping. Exactly when this disposable vape ban will come in to force is not yet known, but users of disposables will need to look elsewhere to get their nicotine - so consider SMOKO E-Cigarettes!
The UK recognises the value of E-Cigarettes and vapes as smoking cessation devices, something that is not matched yet in other countries, but this is potentially down to the level of safety and regulation implemented here in the UK that ensures a high quality, safe product.
The headlines out of America have many countries reluctant to accept the value of E-Cigarettes when they are held to a high standard, indicating harm from ‘vaping’ that is actually down to the addition of illegal substances that require vitamin E acetate for the mixture. All instances of EVALI have had vitamin E acetate in the lung fluid samples, yet this is left out of the headline and only occasionally included in the body of text!
What is important is that these regulations are adhered to in order to maintain the safety of the consumer. If these disposable vape brands have little care over breaking the maximum tank size rule, what other rules are they choosing to ignore?
If you are looking to quit smoking, or currently use a disposable vape, consider switching to SMOKO! Our liquids are made in the UK and tested with our hardware by the MHRA so you know you are getting a product held to the high standards of the TRPR and TPD regulations.
Our devices use rechargeable batteries and you can recycle your empty refills with us for free – this works out to be better for you financially and is better for the environment than these disposable vapes that are most likely to end up in landfill!
So, what are you waiting for? Make the switch with SMOKO today!
*2023 Update - The Government has announced it's plan for a 'Swap to Stop' scheme, planning to distribute 1 million free E-Cigarette starter kits!
(1) E-Cigarettes: regulations for consumer products
(2) Flavoring-related Lung Disease
(3) 2022 Survey shows youth e-cigarette epidemic remains a serious health threat
(4) BAT Testing Data Claims Major Disposable Vaping Brands Contain Illegal Levels of E-liquid
(6) Juul ban put on hold as FDA starts additional review
(7) The Education Hub: Disposable vape ban and what it means for young people
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Written by Dan Overgage
Dan Overgage – is a former smoker of 10 years until he became a client of SMOKO E-Cigarettes. Dan started working with SMOKO 5 years ago after successfully quitting using our e-cigarettes and works across our Customer Service and heads up our content creation and research with a strong focus on all things quitting smoking. During his tenure with SMOKO, Dan has written countless blogs and consults with countless clients every day to help them to stay smoke-free.
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It was announced on the 28th January 2024 that disposable vapes are being banned in the UK (7). This disposable vape ban is part of government plans to tackle the rise in youth vaping. Exactly when this disposable vape ban will come in to force is not yet known, but users of disposables will need to look elsewhere to get their nicotine - so consider SMOKO E-Cigarettes!
(1) E-Cigarettes: regulations for consumer products
You need to be at least 18 years old to buy E-Cigarette and vaping products in the UK because they contain nicotine. All nicotine products sold in the UK are considered restricted products because they contain nicotine and they fall under the Tobacco Products Directive - vaping regulations established in 2016.
It’s well known that once you start smoking it can be very hard to stop. The addictive chemical ‘nicotine’ is present in tobacco products, with more chemicals added that increase how much nicotine your body absorbs (1). This means that smokers get used to a strong hit of nicotine when they have a cigarette and then, as the nicotine levels in the brain go down, the smoker starts to crave another cigarette.
The effect of nicotine on the brain, and the detrimental effect of a lack of nicotine in a brain used to being fed nicotine, create this desire to smoke as more nicotine gets the brain working at it's 'normal' capacity for a smoker (2). This cycle of addiction is what makes giving up smoking very tough for most people, and a dangerous position to be in – one recent study found that smoking a cigarette costs you, on average, 11 minutes of life.
With this knowledge, it is clear that tobacco harm reduction products have an important role to play in helping people to stop smoking. Things get a bit tricky when it comes to youth smoking as you need to be 18 years of age to buy nicotine products in the UK, even though nicotine replacement products can be used for children over 12 years of age (3). As vaping is proving to be a successful method of quitting cigarettes, you may be wondering what is the legal age to vape UK?
Vaping is the act of inhaling on an E-Cigarette and exhaling the vapour produced. The term ‘E-Cigarette’ literally means ‘electronic cigarette’ and this includes all types of vaping device (sometimes referred to as ‘END S’ or ‘electronic nicotine delivery system’) – that means everything from the cigaike devices that are designed to look and feel like a tobacco cigarette, to the bricks-with-chimneys that some vapers use.
The vape device works by heating up a mixture known as e-liquid or ‘vape juice’ into an aerosol, which is inhaled by the user, and then expelled in a cloud of vapour! This is great because the e-liquid can contain nicotine, allowing smokers to satisfy nicotine cravings without all of the harm that comes from smoking tobacco.
Many smokers are finding vaping to be a great way of quitting smoking because vaping provides a hand-to-mouth action – just like smoking (4) – allowing smokers to get their nicotine in a similar way to smoking, just with most of the harm removed! Even better, studies have shown that E-Cigarettes could be up to twice as effective as nicotine replacement products, such as nicotine gum and patches, for quitting smoking!
As a relatively new industry, there is quite a lot of choice when it comes to selecting your vape device. These can be divided into a number of categories, the first of which is ‘open or closed systems’ – this indicates whether the vape device is self-contained; open systems let the vaper add the e-liquid of their choice, where closed systems use pre-filled refills.
Closed systems include the cigalike devices, pre-filled pod vapes and disposable vapes. These often come in two parts: the refill and the battery. Once the refill is used up, put a new refill on the battery and away you go!
Open systems include anything refillable: vape pens, pod vapes, vape mods (the big bricks) and mechanical mods. Open systems require more maintenance because some parts need to be cleaned or changed over time and there is always a risk of spillage or leak creating a mess or getting into the main housing, which could cause issues.
Closed systems are the easiest to use and can take the stress out of quitting smoking, making them the best choice for heavy smokers trying to quit. Check out the SMOKO VAPE POD Starter Kit for an easy-to-use, pre-filled device that takes the stress out of quitting smoking!
Refillable devices range from fairly simple vape pens to complex vape mods that allow the user to fill the tank with their own e-liquid, choose the type of coil used to heat up the e-liquid and choose the power output of the device – all factors that impact the vaping experience.
High powered vapes are best suited to low nicotine e-liquids, and liquids that are more balanced in favour of vegetable glycerine. This is down to the amount of vapour produced; both nicotine and propylene glycol contribute to the throat-hit as the vapour goes into the lungs – so If you use a high nicotine, PG favoured e-liquid in a powerful device you may end up having a coughing fit!
The E-Cigarette was designed to be a way of getting nicotine in a similar way to smoking but without the harm we know is associated with tobacco use. In the UK, the health authorities including Public Health England and the Royal College of Physicians found that E-Cigarettes are at least 95% less harmful than smoking traditional cigarettes, showing that vaping is a valid tobacco harm reduction tool.
Many smokers have a really hard time when they try to quit smoking, which is why quit rates are generally quite low (5) – not only are there physical cravings, but the impact of these cravings can then increase stress, create mood issues while your body is adjusting to the lack of nicotine, which in turn can have a bad effect on your relationships. There are a bunch of other side-effects of quitting, like headaches and trouble sleeping, so it is understandable that smokers trying to quit may relapse to alleviate these issues.
This is where E-Cigarettes can help. E-liquid contains propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine, flavourings, and nicotine. This means that vaping delivers the nicotine, alleviating nicotine withdrawal symptoms, while eliminating the 4000+ chemicals found in tobacco and the nasty biproducts made by burning it, like tar and carbon monoxide.
Vaping is therefore meant to be a way for smokers to reduce the harm they are doing to themselves and those around them. Not only is vaping 95% less harmful than smoking, there is no ‘passive vaping’ risk because there is no sidestream smoke (this is when a cigarette continues to burn when not being inhaled on) and the exhaled E-Cigarette vapour is over 99% water vapour!
Finding a way of vaping that works for you is key to making the switch from smoking to vaping as seamless as possible. There are some studies that have investigated which type of vape appears to be best a helping people to quit, and it looks like a win for the low-powered, pre-filled devices.
A combination of factors may be responsible for this. Smokers first making the switch to E-Cigarettes are likely to choose a cigalike style device due to the shape and feel being so close to an actual cigarette. This allows the smoker carry on with the habit as if they hadn’t stopped smoking, but with 95% of the harm removed!
Low powered devices require using an e-liquid that favours PG instead of vegetable glycerine (VG) as VG heavy liquids are thicker, so need more power to vaporise. This isn’t a bad thing – as PG contributes to the throat hit that smokers are looking for when they switch to vaping.
All products containing nicotine require a minimum age of 18 to buy here in the UK. This includes all vaping paraphernalia, and even zero nicotine e-liquids or disposable vapes. How well these rules are stuck to, however, is another matter altogether.
So, just like tobacco products, people under 18 shouldn’t be able to get their hands on vaping products – with a big emphasis on ‘shouldn’t be able to’…
In the UK, you are considered an adult at 18 years of age. This means the majority of products and activities restricted to ‘adults’ in the UK require you to be at least 18 years old. As this is not the case from country to country, it is worth noting that the legal age for vaping is different depending on where you are in the world.
The legal age for vaping in Europe is 18, as it is in Brazil, China, the United Arab Emirates and Australia – though you need a doctors prescription to legally buy E-Cigarettes in Australia. The rules in Canada vary between provinces, requiring a minimum age of 18 or 19; South Korea has the minimum age set at 19, Japan has theirs at 20 years old, and the United States has the minimum age requirement set at 21 years.
Be wary if you are a travelling vaper as there are some countries where vaping is illegal – make sure to check the rules for vaping in your country of destination before you book a holiday to avoid a sticky situation!
Part of the uphill battle that E-Cigarettes have been fighting is the argument that they appeal to young, impressionable people. With appealing flavours intended to make choosing to vape a better choice than choosing to smoke, there have been issues raised about how this makes vaping an enticing pastime for younger people, and whether vaping acts as a gateway to smoking.
This point of view has been reinforced by the behaviour of certain E-Cigarette manufacturers in the United States, who have since been in a lot of trouble because they were found to be marketing specifically to middle and high school students (6). This undermines the whole aim of E-Cigarettes to get smokers away from tobacco on to a less harmful alternative, with a view to reducing tobacco use in the population or eliminating it entirely!
In the UK, we haven’t seen this kind of brazen disregard for the next generations, though the issue of underage teens getting their hands on vaping equipment is still present, and there have been examples of e-liquids named after sweets, to ‘bring back the childhood memories’ which is cutting a little close to youth marketing.
Just in our local vicinity, two shops that sold E-Cigarettes (among other things) were shut down for selling vaping equipment to under 18s. This creates problems for everyone – anti-vaping groups latch on to these instances to say that there is a ‘youth vaping epidemic’ and while there may be some truth to youths getting their hands on vapes by illegal means, this has been true of tobacco in the past.
Whilst not condoning selling nicotine products to underage teens, it raises an important question of whether, as a society, we would prefer teens experiment with tobacco or vaping.
It seems that the best way to tackle this issue will be to impose hefty fines for individuals and companies that sell vaping kit to underage teens, and anyone purchasing on behalf of someone underage. The first will make any retailers think twice before trying to get away with selling a product to someone who isn’t legally allowed to buy it; and increasing any penalty for those who try to purchase nicotine products on behalf of an underage teen will help to minimise the number of teens getting their hands of any form of E-Cigarette.
*2024 Update - This year, the UK government has announced a ban on disposable vapes due to the increase in use among underage teens and marketing practices of some disposable vape companies targeting youth appeal.
The issue of the youth appeal of E-Cigarettes is being tackled in several ways – in the U.S, for example, all flavours other than tobacco and menthol have been banned. This extreme course-correction has occurred due to the lack of initial regulation and the occurrence of marketing to the youth, such as naming flavours that would appeal to underage teens.
There are stirrings in Europe and the UK about raising the age you can buy tobacco and nicotine products year-on-year, with a view to eliminating tobacco use altogether. While this raises questions about our freedom as consumers, we may see the age at which you can buy E-Cigarettes (as well as tobacco products) increase as time goes by. The Smokefree 2030 campaign in the UK gives you an idea of the steps the UK government want to take in order to tackle the health burden society faces from tobacco use.
It is perfectly understandable that many countries view vaping as a form of smoking, leading to the restrictions we see today. We may still see changes in the laws yet; we have certainly seen updates to the laws since E-Cigarettes first became available, but it is logical that the same restrictions on smoking have been applied to vaping as a starting point for the regulations and then amended as our understanding of vaping increases.
The legal age to vape UK is 18, and the UK may just be the best place to buy your vape kits. The regulation in place in the UK means that only high-quality e-liquid is available, tested by the UK’s health agency, the MHRA, so you know you are getting a good quality product.
Here at SMOKO, our devices are closed systems which means that our UK-made e-liquids are tested in our hardware by the MHRA as well, giving our customers the peace of mind they need when trying to quit smoking.
If you are a smoker looking to quit, and are over 18, check out the SMOKO Starter kit range and make the switch with SMOKO today!
(3) NHS: Stop smoking treatments
(4) 7 Ways to Help Curb Hand-to-Mouth Addiction
(5) CDC: Smoking Cessation: Fast Facts
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Written by Dan Overgage
Dan Overgage – is a former smoker of 10 years until he became a client of SMOKO E-Cigarettes. Dan started working with SMOKO 5 years ago after successfully quitting using our e-cigarettes and works across our Customer Service and heads up our content creation and research with a strong focus on all things quitting smoking. During his tenure with SMOKO, Dan has written countless blogs and consults with countless clients every day to help them to stay smoke-free.
]]>According to many studies, there is little evidence to show vaping causes tooth damage. A study by Newcastle University dentistry experts indicate that no long-term evidence related to oral health effects exists with regard to vaping in the UK. Both Public Health England and Cancer Research UK found E-Cigarettes to be at least 95% less harmful than smoking cigarettes, indicating massive harm reduction compared to smoking tobacco.
Vaping and E-Cigarette use has been with us for a few years now, and as more studies are conducted into the health effects of vaping, we are seeing a wide range of articles and studies that contain conclusions from ‘E-Cigarettes are 97% less harmful than tobacco cigarettes’ to ‘vaping creates toxicity, inflammation, and stress on the arteries of the heart that appear to be worse than smoking tobacco’. In order to get an idea of which opinions are closest to the truth, we need to take in all the facts we have at our disposal.
One recent claim from the Cardiff Metropolitan University School of Sport and Health Science is that vaping causes tooth damage. The paper also contains a number of other statements that can be debated, so today’s article will focus on what the paper says, what the experts have to say in response, and whether other authorities agree.
E-Cigarettes allow users to get nicotine into their bodies in a way that is almost identical to smoking. A battery supplies power to a heating element, which heats up a liquid mixture containing nicotine into an aerosol, which is then inhaled by the user.
There are a variety of different style E-Cigarettes - or ‘vapes’ - out there, each delivering a slightly different experience. Cigalike style E-Cigarettes are designed to look and feel like a cigarette, making it an easy switch for smokers. Cigalike E-Cigarettes typically use pre-filled cartridges, but you can find pre-filled pod-style vapes, too.
A step up from the pre-filled options are the vape pens or refillable pod vapes. These are often a bit more powerful than the pre-filled options, and require filling liquid into the tank yourself, as well as maintaining other consumable parts such as the coil that heats the liquid.
Then you have the vape mods, sometimes called ‘box mods’, which are the bigger, more complex devices that require filling and maintaining by the user. These are more for the experienced vapers who want the experience that these devices give: less throat hit (due to low nicotine content) and more vapour clouds!
E-Cigarette refills are filled with e-liquid, the mixture containing nicotine. E-liquid itself is made up from propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerine (VG), nicotine and flavourings. This means that the 4000+ harmful chemicals from the tobacco plant, as well as the nasty by-products of burning tobacco, are eliminated.
In the UK and Europe, there is strong regulation in place for the ingredients allowed in e-liquids. Frustratingly, this isn’t the case worldwide which has led to inaccurate articles scaremongering about the effects of vaping, based on unfortunate instances of users adding illicit substances like tetrahydrocannabinol – the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis – by means of a carrier liquid: vitamin E acetate. All instances of EVALI in the United States have had vitamin E acetate present in the samples of lung fluid.
With regard to vaping and its impact on teeth, the study from Cardiff University paid particular attention to the vapour flavour, anticipating certain added flavourings to increase acidity and therefore corrosive potential. The study also mentions a flavouring that is banned from E-Cigarettes in the UK and Europe that is known to cause harm: diacetyl.
Diacetyl is linked to a lung condition called ‘bronchiolitis obliterans’, more commonly known as ‘popcorn lung’. It was used for buttery flavouring in popcorn factories and began to cause harm to workers who were inadvertently inhaling it. While safe to ingest, it is known to cause harm and for this reason is banned from inclusion in vapes in the UK and Europe.
Where to begin!!
The study from Cardiff Metropolitan University claimed E-Cigarettes are associated with cancer. This is a loaded statement and is fraught with problems.
Firstly, we know that E-Cigarettes eliminate the harmful chemicals found in tobacco, of which over 50 are known to cause cancer. Secondly, they also exclude the formation of carbon monoxide which sticks to red blood cells reducing oxygen carrying capacity, and the formation of tar that negatively affects lung function – both of which are formed in the combustion process that e-cigarettes do not share.
Thirdly, many health authorities’ studies and evidence reviews disagree with the idea that E-Cigarettes are associated with cancer. Public Health England regularly reviews evidence on the matter, and the most recent evidence review maintains that E-Cigarettes are 95% less harmful than tobacco cigarettes. Cancer Research UK’s own investigations has led to their statement that E-Cigarettes are 97% less harmful than smoking cigarettes.
So – if there is a link between E-Cigarette users and cancer, what could be the cause? It’s a telling situation when the studies choose to ignore that E-Cigarettes are being used by smokers as a smoking cessation tool. The majority of vapers were smokers, so it is astounding that E-Cigarettes have become the scapegoat without any thought to the years a vaper may have spent smoking and the damage this has done to their body.
The study also claims that nicotine causes a high risk of oral health issues and whole-body health complications, citing a World Health Organization poster. There is an argument that if this was the case, nicotine replacement therapy products would be far more restricted, and would almost certainly cause harm when used for extended periods of time.
Newcastle University vaping and dentistry experts Dr Richard Holliday, Professor Elaine McColl, Anthony Weke and Zelia Sayeed disagree with the study from Cardiff Metropolitan University, stating they were ‘disappointed to see several basic errors and misrepresentations’ in the paper.
In addition to pointing out that nicotine replacement products have been in use for over 30 years and are regarded as extremely safe, the experts pointed out that the reference used in the study to support a link between E-Cigarettes and cancer actually stated, ‘no long-term evidence related to oral and systemic health effects exists.’
The Cardiff paper also states that diacetyl is found in most flavoured vapes, which as mentioned earlier, is illegal to be included in e-liquids in the UK and Europe. This may be true of disposable vapes and e-liquids coming out of other countries like China where the regulation is less stringent, but is certainly untrue of e-liquids tested for sale in the EU and UK.
Other points that the Newcastle University team took issue with were that the Cardiff study misrepresented public health guidance with regard to E-Cigarettes and highlighted that as E-Cigarettes do not contain tobacco, they should not be treated as such.
Public Health England’s view on E-Cigarettes is that they are at least 95% less harmful than traditional tobacco cigarettes. While not entirely risk free, the toxins produced are at fractional levels of those found in tobacco cigarettes.
Cancer Research UK’s evidence led to their statement that E-Cigarettes are 97% less harmful than smoking cigarettes. The key point to keep in mind is that these figures are based on evidence from the UK, where good regulation protects the consumer.
Nancy Loucas, Executive Coordinator of the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates, points out that citing the WHO’s anti-vaping stance as the ‘official’ public health position was a fatal mistake for the Cardiff study as UK public bodies ignore the WHO’s advice. This may be due to the WHO’s position likely being heavily influenced by the happenings in the United States, where regulation was slow to come into effect, leading to a ‘wild west’ style vaping industry. This led to an overbearing implementation of regulation, where only tobacco and menthol flavours are now federally allowed by the FDA.
Another day; another vaping hit-piece. It’s important that vaping is thoroughly investigated as a new phenomenon to establish the exact risks, if any, are presented both short-and-long-term. However, there needs to be clarity and goodwill on the parts of everyone involved to get to the facts.
When food science lecturers decide to publish a study claiming dangers from vaping, we should ask what their motivations are. We know that smoking tobacco has negative effects on much of the body, including oral health, and as E-Cigarettes are a smoking cessation tool they should be referenced and compared to the harm done by cigarettes. The harm done by cigarettes before the smoker became a vaper should also be kept in mind as a big contributary factor to smoking related diseases that happen to arise when a smoker has transitioned to vaping.
If you are a smoker, making the switch to E-Cigarettes will eliminate most of the harm from smoking – by 95% according to Public Health England and 97% according to Cancer Research UK – so check out the SMOKO E-Cigarette starter kit range and make the switch today!
*2022 Update – Now you can get a SMOKO E-Cigarette Cigalike starter kit FREE* when you buy a box of E-Cigarette refills! *(One per customer)
]]>E-cigarettes have been around for a while now (1), and like every technology there have been trends that come and go. A few years ago it was large vapourisers which produced a lot of vapour, but recently a new trend has appeared, one that claims to be the easiest version yet of e-cigarettes. That would of course be the disposable e-cigarette.
Disposable vapes are marketed as the most convenient way to get nicotine, but is that really true?
Today we are going to be looking at the new trend in E-Cigarettes and vaping and assessing if disposable e-cigarettes are as easy and convenient as they claim to be.
If you are new to e-cigarettes though it might be hard to tell what the difference between all the different types of e-cigarettes. At their core all e-cigarettes do the same thing, that is they turn e-liquid from a liquid into a vapour that you breathe in (2).
E-liquid is what contains the nicotine (as well as the flavour) that smokers need to move away from cigarettes. The amount of nicotine depends on the e-liquid, as you can go for a 2% all the way down to zero nicotine.
The E-liquid in the e-cigarette is the most important part then, as that is what will be entering into your body as vapour. Finding e-liquid you like the taste of, and is safe to use, is perhaps the most important part of making the switch to e-cigarettes, and something we at SMOKO take seriously.
That’s why we are so proud of our UK made e-liquids. We make sure that all the e-liquids in our vapes have been tested above and beyond the current laws, in line with the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) (3). Not only does that mean we know the e-liquids are safe to use, but taste great too.
There are only 4 ingredients in our E-liquid, including the nicotine, and all 4 of them have been tested by and independent laboratory to make sure that they are safe to use.
As all e-cigarettes contain E-liquid, how we separate the different types of vapes is by the hardware.
The disposable E-cigarette is meant to be as easy to use as possible. As the names says it is 100% disposable, with the E-liquid pre-filled into the device and the battery built in too. Once you have used all the e-liquid in the disposable you just throw it away. If you ignore the environmental damage this causes, it can at least seem easy.
The disposable e-cigarette’s main competitor is the pod system. While being pre-filled like the disposable (so there is no filling or mess) the pod is separate from the battery. This seemingly simple difference means the world when it comes to convenience!
It was announced on the 28th January 2024 that disposable vapes are being banned in the UK (4). This is part of government plans to tackle the rise in youth vaping. Exactly when this disposable vape ban will come in to force is not yet known, but users of disposables will need to look elsewhere to get their nicotine - so consider SMOKO E-Cigarettes!
Though the e-liquid quite rightly gets most of the attention when you are choosing an e-cigarette, many people forget about the battery. As the power source to the e-cigarette the battery is vitally important, as without it nothing works!
With a disposable e-cigarette the battery has been charged and is built into the device. That means it is ready to go when you buy it, but once it loses the charge, the disposable is finished. The idea behind this is (like everything else with disposables) is that it is meant to be easy as possible.
The Pod system on the other hand has the battery as a separate part, and that battery is re-chargeable. With a POD battery you don’t just throw it away when it runs out of electricity, instead you re-charge the battery and put the Pod back on. Or if you have a second battery you just transfer the pod to a second battery and keep puffing away while the 1st battery is on charge.
And switching batteries is extremely easy too. At SMOKO, our pods are magnetically connected to the battery, so putting a pod onto a battery is as easy as slotting it into a hole.
By making the batteries re-usable you are firstly not throwing away dozens of batteries into the landfill, which has become an ever-growing problem for waste and recycling centres (5) as disposable vapes are thrown away in the casing, making them hard to separate from general waste. It also means you always know that you can use your POD E-Cigarette. After all, if the battery is out of charge you just re-charge it.
Compare that to a disposable vape. If the battery dies halfway through the day you are out of luck, even if there is e-liquid left in the disposable, there is no way to use it.
If you are going out for a whole day then your choices with a disposable is to bring a new disposable along just in case, or take a chance.
Convenience means having what you want, when you want it. With a POD you can have all the extra batteries you want, while with a disposable you are reliant on one battery that might or might not last you.
Another difference between PODs and disposable e-cigarettes is the ability to swap PODs (and, therefore, flavours) on the fly.
As disposable vapes are sealed units, the flavour and strength you bought is the one you will be using until it is finished. If you do want another flavour or strength, then you will need to buy another disposable.
The POD on the other hand offers the ability to swap out flavours and strengths in literally seconds. Just take the POD out of the battery and put the new POD in, and you suddenly have a new flavour or strength.
For those who like the idea of having a higher strength vape in the morning, and then switching to a lower strength at night, or just prefer to change up the flavour, you will need to have several disposable vapes to hand.
At best, disposable users who want multiple flavours or strengths will have to have multiple disposable e-cigarettes going at the same time. At worst they throw away the disposable halfway through to use a new one.
But lets say you only like one flavour and one strength. Like the battery issue before, as a disposable user going out for the day you have a choice of taking a risk or bringing along another disposable in case the first runs out.
This is because with many of the biggest brands of disposable e-cigarettes you can’t see into the disposable, which means you are never quite sure about how much you have left.
Again you are left with the choice of either carrying around multiple around just in case, or carefully counting how many puffs you have used of your disposable to make sure you have enough.
Here at SMOKO we made sure that one of the design choices we made with the POD was that you can see inside the refill.
What is more convenient then, carrying around multiple disposables just in case or being able to check how much e-liquid you have left in a POD and just carrying around the 1 pod e-cigarette all day?
To put this in perspective then, the main selling point of a disposable e-cigarette is that you can just buy one from the shop and use it.
While it is true that you can do this, once you have bought the disposable the inconvenience starts. As a single unit you have no way to change, check or adjust anything. You either have to have multiple disposable e-cigarettes on hand (which kind of defeats the purpose of the convenient disposable if you have to plan for multiple different situations) or risk being without your nicotine for the day.
The POD though gives you everything that the disposable can, and more. With PODs you can check the e-liquid inside (so you are never caught off guard) and batteries you can re-charge, meaning you will always be able to leave the house for the day safe in the knowledge that your nicotine is covered.
This doesn’t even cover the fact that disposable e-cigarettes are more expansive than POD systems. Due to the fact you aren’t buying the whole device every time like a disposable, PODs work out much cheaper!
As you are only buying the pods, not the batteries each time. We wrote a whole article on how the pod system is cheaper than disposables, but on average a disposable user will spend over £240 MORE than a pod user.
Lastly, we mentioned it before, but the shear amount of plastic and metals you are throwing into the landfill by using disposable e-cigarettes (6). With the Pod though, as the battery is separate from the pods, both can be recycled.
If you want to try a device that gives you: flexibility in what flavours and strengths you use, lets you see how much liquid you have left and lets you swap out batteries without stopping then the Vape POD might be right for you!
Try a Vape POD Starter Kit for yourself today and see if you too make the switch!
(1) Britannica: E-Cigarette inhalation device
(2) Are e-cigarettes a safe alternative to smoking?
(3) The MHRA, Trading Standards and the TPD
(4) The Education Hub: Disposable vape ban and what it means for young people
(6) House of Commons Library: Plastic waste
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Written by Jonny Shaw
Jonny Shaw – Is a former smoker of 7 years before becoming a client of SMOKO E-Cigarettes. He started working with SMOKO 10 years ago after successfully quitting with our cigalike and now heads up our Customer Service. Jonny helps countless people every day to find the right solutions to quit smoking cigarettes using our range of vape and electronic cigarette products.
]]>As we are all very aware of now, only certain types of plastics can be re-cycled. If the plastic is too dirty or contains electronics or other materials that plastic has to be sent to the landfill.
And this is a huge issue, as every year thousands of tonnes of plastic ends up in landfill (6) and will stay there for hundreds of years. Or even worse, it gets burnt and the air and water around are filled with micro-plastic particles that are slowly clogging up the oceans and air.
This is doubly the case for any plastic that has electronics or any other materials attached to it. Having multiple types of material on one item makes it extremely hard to recycle as the individual materials must be separated before they can be recycled.
All this is to say that disposables, which are made up of a battery, plastic and electronics are almost impossible to recycle.
The POD style though is recyclable though, and that’s down to two reasons. The first is the more obvious one, the battery isn’t connected to the pod refill, meaning that you can recycle the battery as you normally would.
The actual used pods though can be more tricky, as that does contain both plastic and electronics, however here at SMOKO we are dedicated to being a carbon negative company, which is why we have found a way to recycle the pods.
It was announced on the 28th January 2024 that disposable vapes are being banned in the UK. This is part of government plans to tackle the rise in youth vaping. Exactly when this disposable vape ban will come in to force is not yet known, but users of disposables will need to look elsewhere to get their nicotine - so consider SMOKO E-Cigarettes!
At SMOKO we are dedicated to being as environmentally minded as possible, which in this case means we found a way to recycle the pods.
recycling pods can be tricky as there are not only plastic parts, but the coil and electronics and metal inside. However we have partnered with Reconomy, one the UK's leading specialist recycling companies, to make sure our pods are not thrown into the landfill.
We also have made this whole process completely free as well! We pay all the costs for this, from the postage to send the used refills back to the actual recycling process.
But that isn’t the limit of what we are trying to do for the environment either. SMOKO has dedicated itself to be not only becoming carbon neutral, but carbon negative as well. We have adapted and changed way we do things throughout the company to make sure that we are doing everything we can to help.
One of the big ways we have done this is by focusing on UK made items. All the liquid in our Pods are proudly made in the UK, which not only means that you are getting a vape which has been tested to all current UK safety laws, but hasn’t been made or transported from China either.
Disposables on the other hand can’t say this. The vast majority will have Chinese liquid, and made in China, and shipped over to the UK.
If you are at all conscious of the environment and your effect on it, then disposable E-cigs should be the last thing on your mind. From the massive waste of natural resources to the hundreds of batteries you would be throwing away each year, there is no way disposables are anything but a problem.
And that is not even mentioning the issue of all the extra plastic you would be throwing away!
Instead, if you want a hassle-free and simple way to make the switch to E-Cigarettes, and want to help the environment, consider the Vape POD range.
With batteries that can be re-charged (and then re-cycled when they are finished) and a recycling program there should be almost nothing in the SMOKO Vape POD that won’t be recycled.
So if you care about the planet and want to make the switch to an e-cigarette give the SMOKO Vape POD a try!
(1) Nicotine vaping in England: 2022 evidence update main findings
(2) Action on Smoking and Health: Tobacco and the Environment
(4) Truth Initiative: Tobacco and the environment
(6) House of Commons Library: Plastic Waste
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Written by Jonny Shaw
Jonny Shaw – Is a former smoker of 7 years before becoming a client of SMOKO E-Cigarettes. He started working with SMOKO 10 years ago after successfully quitting with our cigalike and now heads up our Customer Service. Jonny helps countless people every day to find the right solutions to quit smoking cigarettes using our range of vape and electronic cigarette products.
]]>E-Cigarettes do not contain tobacco – e-liquid is made from propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine, flavourings and nicotine. Heated tobacco products, sometimes called ‘smokeless tobacco products’, do contain tobacco so contain the harmful chemicals and carcinogens found in tobacco products, like heavy metals that get into the plant. Heated tobacco products do not combust tobacco, but studies indicate they still produce low levels of many of the harmful chemicals associated with smoking.
Time to talk ‘tobacco’ – heated tobacco products, to be precise.
A recent article talking about the proposed ban by the EU on flavoured heated tobacco products used the term ‘e-cigarette’ in the article headline, only mentioning in the text that this is about ‘heated tobacco products’ and not e-liquid vapes. Headlines like these lead people to group electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) that use e-liquid with these heated tobacco products, or ‘HTPs’, that still use tobacco.
This article will explain some of the significant differences between the two products, and why ENDS should be presented as an altogether different product to HTPs.
Heated tobacco products were first pioneered in the 1980’s, so they have been around for a while. Tobacco companies have been developing alternative heated tobacco products since 1988, with varying degrees of success. Most were withdrawn within a year of release, with more success occurring in recent years.
There is huge pressure that is still mounting on eliminating the biggest cause of preventable death worldwide, which is smoking. With the emergence of the ‘e-cigarette’, tobacco companies have been playing catch up ever since, whether in the form of buying up vape companies or launching their own product to compete with e-cigs; this is where heated tobacco products come in.
Heated tobacco products are very different from the e-liquid vapes many of us are now familiar with. There are a few different designs out there, but where an e-cigarette heats up e-liquid to turn it into an aerosol which can be inhaled, heated tobacco products heat dried tobacco to temperatures no higher than 350°C to create an aerosol to inhale. By limiting the temperature, heated tobacco systems aim to prevent burning the tobacco because it leads to the formation of more nasty chemicals in cigarette smoke.
Early versions of HTPs still produced high levels of carcinogens and carbon monoxide, which may explain why many early attempts at these products were withdrawn relatively soon after their release.
Today, there are two main types of heated tobacco product – one that uses a carbon tin wrapped in glass fibres where the user lights the tip and the dried tobacco is heated to create an aerosol. The other style uses wrapped tobacco sticks placed in a heating device that pierces the paper wrap and heats the tobacco, creating an aerosol.
The e-cigarette uses a battery to heat a coil, which in turn heats the e-liquid containing the all-important nicotine into an aerosol which is inhaled into the lungs, to absorb the nicotine into the blood.
All these devices aim to deliver nicotine via the lungs, creating a similar sensation to smoking a traditional cigarette. The difference lies in the substance that is being heated up.
In e-cigarettes, it is e-liquid that is heated up. E-liquid is made up from propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerine (VG), flavourings, and nicotine. You can check out our blog, ‘What Exactly is in Vape Juice? Here is Everything You Need To Know’ for a more comprehensive breakdown of what is in your e-liquid!
HTPs heat up tobacco - we know that there are many nasty chemicals formed by burning tobacco, and so heated tobacco products aim to reduce the harm by preventing the tobacco from burning.
This does mean that HTP users are still getting chemicals from the tobacco plant, and this includes heavy metals like cadmium and mercury that the tobacco plant naturally takes in from soil – this is not the case with e-liquid e-cigarettes. In addition, two recent studies did show increased carbon monoxide levels in exhaled breath after HTP use, indicating that combustion may still be happening in some designs for HTPs.
E-liquids, by comparison, only contain nicotine from the tobacco plant (and even this can be synthesised), so you don’t get the other harmful chemicals found in tobacco when you vape with e-liquid!
The EU’s Commissioner for health and food safety Stella Kyriakides said the proposed banning of flavoured heated tobacco products is an effort to ‘make smoking as unattractive as possible to protect the health of our citizens and save lives’ and prevent youth appeal. This was proposed in response to an observed 10% increase in sales of HTPs in more than five EU member countries. It’s interesting to note that no consideration is made that this increase could be down to smokers seeking a less harmful alternative…
Studies have shown that HTP use delivers significantly less toxins than tobacco cigarettes. The addition of flavourings is likely to lead to the production of some toxins, but as the tobacco isn’t burning, we can expect the levels of these toxins to be incredibly low. This means that even flavoured HTPs are significantly less harmful than smoking cigarettes.
The ‘flavoured’ argument appears to originate from the marketing in certain countries of e-cigarettes, where flavours were named with child-appeal, and packaging made bright and colourful to attract the eye. This led to a rise in youths using e-cigarettes in the USA. This marketing strategy was identified and clamped down on, and flavoured e-cigarettes banned in the USA to avoid the product’s appeal to the youth market.
One study that analysed data from tobacco smokers who had at least tried an e-cigarette and found that the taste was the most cited reason for choosing their e-cigarette. In the group aged 15-24, external packaging and design features were rated as the more important aspects of choosing their device. This study suggests that there are more important factors than flavour that encourage the youth to try e-cigarettes. We were all young once, and something being outlawed is only more reason to give it a try for an adventurous, rebellious youth!
Being unable to obtain flavoured products may lead to consumers trying to make their own flavours, without a full understanding of the flavourings that are safe for this purpose - this could end up being damaging to the consumer.
From the smoker’s perspective, having a tobacco product with flavour you enjoy will encourage you to choose to use the device over smoking cigarettes. Given the addictive nature of cigarettes, every advantage that a smoker has when trying to quit smoking should be exploited, and enjoying the taste is a big one that I believe should not be so quickly cast aside.
Heated tobacco products may be marketed as ‘95% less harmful than smoking’ but it is important to understand that this figure is not from a health authority. With e-cigarettes, Public Health England reviewed evidence, concurring with the Royal College of Physicians that e-cigarettes are unlikely to surpass 5% of the damage done by tobacco cigarettes – so the official stand is that electronic cigarettes are 95% less harmful than e-cigarettes.
Heated tobacco products, while they appear to be less damaging than smoking, have a lifetime cancer risk higher than the lifetime cancer risk from e-cigarettes. There is a good argument for only allowing the tobacco alternative that has the largest reduced risk, which would see the banning of all heated tobacco products in the EU, if the aim is to eliminate deaths from tobacco.
A data set for the IQOS, a heated tobacco product manufactured by Philip Morris International, indicated that out of 24 biomarkers of potential harm, there was no statistical differences between people using the IQOS and tobacco cigarettes in 23 of 24 biomarkers. Given that this is Philip Morris International’s own data, this further indicates that heated tobacco products do not reduce harm at the same magnitude as e-cigarettes.
Many of the articles covering this story have already made amendments to clarify that e-cigarettes are not included in this ban, but with headlines of this nature, it is no wonder that the e-cigarette industry is facing an uphill battle to inform members of the public of the facts.
Heated tobacco products contain tobacco, and while they don’t burn the tobacco, heating it does release chemicals that we know to be harmful, including heavy metals and carbon monoxide. Is it a step in the right direction for smokers? Yes. Is there a better option on the market? Yes.
E-cigarettes do away with tobacco and the chemicals found within - and remember: they are 95% less harmful than smoking, according to Public Health England!
So, if you want to quit smoking, e-cigarettes using e-liquid are a better choice than heated tobacco products. Get started today with the SMOKO e-cigarette starter kit for FREE* by clicking here!
]]>Disposable vapes on their own seem cheap when compared to re-fillable devices and pre-filled rechargeable options. The reality is that buying a rechargeable vape and using pre-filled cartridges or even a refillable vape will be cheaper over time. Other drawbacks for disposables include the use of Chinese made e-liquid, battery failure could result in wasted e-liquid, and the sealed nature of disposables mean they will, most likely, end up in landfill.
We all make the switch from cigarettes to E-Cigarettes for different reasons, whether it’s for health, quality of life or to save tons of money.
In today’s economy, we are all looking for ways to stretch our hard-earned cash further - and getting rid of the cigarettes can be a great way to do it. However, when people first start looking into making the switch, disposable E-Cigarettes may seem like a convenient and cheap option, but that is rarely ever the case.
This week, then, we are looking at the real cost of disposable E-Cigarettes and vapes seeing what truly saves you the most amount of money.
Before we go any further, we need to explain what exactly we mean when we say E-Cigarettes and why over 4 million adult smokers in the UK have already made the switch to vaping (1).
At their core, E-Cigarettes (also called Vapes, Cig-a-likes or Vape pods), are very simple yet lifechanging products. They are small battery-powered devices that vaporise a flavoured liquid with nicotine (known as e-liquid), to produce a smoke-like vapour that you inhale, which mimics the smoking sensation and nicotine hit of a traditional cigarette.
By delivering a satisfying nicotine hit without the tobacco, an e-cig removes a huge amount of the danger of smoking. One traditional cigarette contains at least 4000 chemicals and 50 carcinogens (cancer causing chemicals). (2)
Instead of thousands of harmful chemicals in cigarettes, E-liquids only have 4 ingredients in. The two main ingredients, Propylene glycol (known as PG) and Vegetable glycerine (known as VG) have been used and consumed by people for years now and are shown to be safe. The other two ingredients are the flavouring (so it tastes of something but air) – and, of course, nicotine.
By only having 4 ingredients and getting rid of the 4000 chemicals (like tar, formaldehyde and arsenic) and the carcinogens from the equation, E-Cigarettes are at least 95% less harmful than tobacco. That’s why Public Health England (the independent health agency for England) advocates for them, as well as the Royal Collage of Physicians and even Cancer Research UK as well.
Within this simple premise lies a whole host of different types and styles of Vapes, from refillable vapourisers, to Vape pods and the dreaded disposables.
For today we are going to look at the pre-filled options, the disposables and the pods.
Pre-filled means that the nicotine infused e-liquid has already been added in, which is great for those who want a hassle-free and convenient experience. Both types are designed for smokers who want to be able to pick up their device and puff away, without thinking about re-filling or replacing coils or tanks.
Where vape pods and disposable vapes differ is the battery. A disposable is exactly what the name describes, a product that you throw away as soon as you are done. The e-liquid and the battery are all one device, and as soon as you are finished with the disposable e-cigarette, you throw the whole device away.
If you get bored with a flavour, you will have to get a whole new disposable with that flavour in.
The VAPE POD type has a re-chargeable battery that you put a vape pod onto. This means you replace just the pod, not the whole device. With Pod styles the battery is kept and reused for 3 to 12 months, and only the finished pod is single use, and can even be recycled.
As vape pods are interchangeable, you can swap flavours or strengths whenever the feeling takes you, and then swap back to the original vape pod later if you want!
Whichever type you go for, making the switch to disposable E-Cigarettes will always save you money compared to smoking cigarettes!
To work out how much the average smoker can save we will need to do some maths. Firstly, we need to get some averages to work with, and we will be as conservative as we can so you can see truly how much money the average smoker spends.
In the UK the average smoker goes through 14 cigarettes a day. To make this easier, we will say for our hypothetical smoker averages 15 cigarettes a day.
For a pack of 20 cigarettes the price can range from £9.50 to £14.50, so we will again be very conservative and say our average smoker buys their packs for £12 each.
Based on those numbers, an average smoker will spend £9 every day, up to £270 a month and over £3,285 each year to keep their smoking habit up.
Now let’s look at the price of a disposable vape. A disposable E-cigarette goes for around £5. Inside the disposable vape, there will be approximately 2ml of e-liquid inside (or there is meant to be (3)), which is about 50 - 60 cigarettes worth of nicotine.
Our average smoker then will use 1 disposable vape in 3-4 days, making the daily price around £1.66.
Over a month on disposable E-Cigarettes, the average ex-smoker will spend £50, and upwards of £605 a year.
Before you think about getting a disposable E-Cigarette though, there is still one more price comparison to make, and that’s between the Vape Pod style and the disposable.
A Vape POD starter kit and 1 box of Vape PODs from SMOKO will be £19.99. This is a slightly higher start up cost than the disposable, but as you will soon see, that doesn’t make much difference.
Each Vape POD holds the same amount of e-liquid that the disposable does (2ml) and so in each Pod there is also 50 - 60 cigarettes worth of nicotine.
There are 3 Vape pods in each pack, which means that in the starter kit and pack deal, there is already the same amount of liquid as 3 disposables. In reality then, you are spending £19.99 for 3 Vape Pods (and the battery and charger), where with the disposables you get 4 for the same price. Or to put it another way, the Pod style was £5 more expensive.
But the real price difference comes in when our smoker starts re-ordering the Vape Pods. A box of 3 Vape Pods is around £10/pack but you can get this down to £9 a pack when buying some of our great vape weekly deals. This means the cost of a vape pod can be as little as £3 each.
Like the disposable, our average smoker will use a pod in about 3-4 days. So, the average smoker switching to vape pods could be spending as little as £1/day. This is a massive £8 daily saving compared to smoking 15 cigarettes.
Over a month our smoker will use roughly 10 pods, which is just a little over 3 packs of VAPE Pods. This would mean an average smoker switching to vaping could be spending as little as £30 a month or £365 annually.
For our average smoker who was spending £3,285 each year on a 15 cigarette a day habit, they could save over £2,900 a year by swapping to the SMOKO VAPE POD!
Comparing the VAPE Pod to a disposable vape user, using the VAPE POD will be £240 cheaper a year.
These numbers are of course averages, many people smoke more than 15 cigarettes a day and would be happy to only spend £12 on a pack of cigarettes! For some heavier smokers the saving can shoot up, with some of our customers saving well over £3,500 a year by switching to the VAPE Pod.
And this isn’t even considering the health benefits of getting away from cigarettes. As we said before, E-Cigarettes are much less harmful to you than cigarettes, and in that first year off cigarettes your body will have started to heal the damage tobacco has done to you over the years.
As we have shown, using a SMOKO VAPE Pod is cheaper than using a disposable vape, but there are other reasons to choose a pod system as well.
From an environmental point of view – disposable vapes are perhaps one of the worst choices you can make. Not only are you throwing away plastic every time you finish a disposable, but a lithium battery too. With batteries being so hard to recycle anyway, a disposable with all the extras on top will more than likely be put into the landfill. That's where the real trouble begins: fires in bin lorries and recycling centres are on the rise due (4) to disposable vapes containing a lithium battery in the sealed unit, making them hard to separate. If the trend continues, this could lead to increased council tax as waste disposal companies install new technology to try and prevent these fires.
Here at SMOKO we are a carbon negative brand, and we also provide a VAPE Pod and E-Cigarette Refills Recycling Program - so our customers can send back their used pods and refills to us so we can minimize how much waste ends up in landfill.
Added to that, as the batteries on the pod system aren’t as mired in extra plastic and electronics like the disposable is, you can recycle them like any other battery - at your local battery recycling.
But if recycling isn’t at the top of your mind, what about the quality of the product itself?
At SMOKO we pride ourselves on our high-quality e-liquids that are made in the UK which we use in all of our VAPE Pods and e-cigarette refills. Many of the disposable vape brands use Chinese-made ingredients, so if you want the highest quality product, many of our satisfied customers choose UK made every time!
Unfortunately, many of the disposable vape brands have only just come on to the market and there have been countless issues with unregulated and illegal disposable vapes being sold in the UK, as well as disposable vapes ending up in the hands of under 18's (5).
SMOKO on the other hand, has been helping people to quit smoking with the help of e-cigarettes and vapes since 2012. During that time, we have prevented over 350m cigarettes from being smoked and our customers have saved over £140m of their hard-earned money from literally going up in smoke! We comply with all UK and EU regulations and work closely with the MHRA to ensure the highest quality and standards are met with our entire product range.
So, if you are concerned about cost, the environmental impact and choosing products that exceed all quality standards and have a 10 year track-record, then maybe buying cheap disposable vapes at your local mobile phone shop isn’t the best choice!
It was announced on the 28th January 2024 that disposable vapes are being banned in the UK (6). This disposable vape ban is part of government plans to tackle the rise in youth vaping. Exactly when this disposable vape ban will come in to force is not yet known, but users of disposables will need to look elsewhere to get their nicotine - so consider SMOKO E-Cigarettes!
The question between choosing a Vape Pod or a disposable vape might seem, on the surface, a hard one to someone who is looking to make the switch. When you look at the overall costs and environmental impact, it becomes clear that SMOKO VAPE Pods and E-Cigarettes are a better choice.
If saving money is your primary concern when making the switch to E-Cigarettes, disposables are not the way to go!
The SMOKO VAPE Pods are cheaper and easier to use long term. With the Vape Pod you can have multiple batteries and different flavours refills to make sure you never run out during the day, and of course you won’t be adding to landfill with more plastic!
If you want to give the SMOKO Vape Pod a try and see if you can save £1000’s every year then check out our great vape pod starter kit deal here!
(1) Use of e-cigarettes (vapes) among adults in Great Britain
(5) 'Vape alarms' installed in schools as shocking figures show they trigger 20 times a day
(6) The Education Hub: Disposable vape ban and what it means for young people
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Written by Jonny Shaw
Jonny Shaw – Is a former smoker of 7 years before becoming a client of SMOKO E-Cigarettes. He started working with SMOKO 10 years ago after successfully quitting with our cigalike and now heads up our Customer Service. Jonny helps countless people every day to find the right solutions to quit smoking cigarettes using our range of vape and electronic cigarette products.
]]>Chemicals you should avoid in e-liquids include diacetyl as it is linked to the condition 'popcorn lung', acetoin is known to react in e-liquid to form diacetyl. Pentanedione is a flavouring linked with inflammation and lung damage. Diethylene glycol was found in some E-Cigarettes in 2009 and is considered a toxic substance, vitamin E acetate has been used to add illicit substances to liquids and is linked to vaping injury.
Electronic cigarettes are known as ‘electronic nicotine delivery systems’ or ENDS in the scientific community. The idea is to deliver nicotine without the harmful chemicals found in traditional cigarettes, satisfying a nicotine addiction but with the harm from smoking significantly reduced!
The toxic chemicals inhaled when smoking cigarettes are well documented, but there are lots of articles claiming a wide range of ‘truths’ regarding the safety of Vape products and e liquid ingredients. A little investigation will yield everything from ‘vaping is 100% safe’ to ‘vaping is as dangerous as smoking cigarettes’.
The truth lies somewhere between those two statements, and the important question to answer for the layman is: which is closer to the truth, and why?
Vaping isn't entirely risk free, however when you compare the risks from vaping compared to the risks from smoking, vaping is the better option. According to Public Health England, E-Cigarettes are at least 95% less harmful than smoking tobacco cigarettes (1)!
In the UK, e-liquids are held to the highest standards by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to prevent harmful ingredients in vape juice that is produced in the UK. What chemicals are in vapes from China or other disposable vape manufacturers? We can't be certain of the quality of the flavourings and other ingredients going into disposable vapes, so
E-liquids are the consumed product in the practice of vaping; it contains the nicotine needed to satisfy the nicotine withdrawal smokers suffer when quitting smoking.
A vape device works by heating up the e-liquid until it turns into an aerosol, which is a mixture of particles dispersed in air or gas, so it can be inhaled by the user. This gets nicotine into the lungs, to be absorbed into the bloodstream, much like when smoking.
E-liquids can be purchased in bottles for filling your own device, and in pre-filled e-cigarette and pod refills!
The e-liquid mixture, fondly called ‘vape juice’ by many, is made with only 4 ingredients (including nicotine). So, what chemicals are in vaping liquid?
The 4 ingredients are: propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerin (VG) or ‘glycerol’, and flavourings, with a specific amount of nicotine added.
Vegetable glycerine is responsible for the amount of vapour produced by the device, with higher VG liquids producing thick, voluminous clouds - we’ve all passed these conspicuous vapers in the street, and walked through their clouds like a bad boy-band music video!
Propylene glycol is the other main component of e-liquids and performs several jobs. It is used to carry the flavour and provides a throat hit, helping the vaping experience feel close to a smoking sensation - something SMOKO customers appreciate in the SMOKO E-cigarette!
The flavourings added allow for a huge range of different vape flavours but this does increase the appeal to young people, which is one of the reasons why the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the USA have made fruit, dessert and mint flavours illegal.
Nicotine, the final ingredient, has two different forms that can be added to e-liquids. Free base nicotine, and nicotine salt (often abbreviated to nic salts). Nicotine free e-liquids are an option, and are used to add your own nicotine if you plan to mix your own liquids.
Why would you mix your own liquids? The maximum nicotine strength allowed for sale is 2.0%, or 20mg per ml, for e-liquids and e-cigarette refills in the UK, but I’ve seen blog posts from people who mix up to 5% or 50mg per ml using nicotine shots and e-liquid shortfills!
That’s a bit like using dynamite to start a campfire: overkill!
Before we become inundated with messages from vapers saying ‘hey! Nicotine shots are regulated!’ This is true, however, they are subject to a different set of regulations - the GPSR (General Product Safety Regulations) which assumes they will be used as intended.
However, you know what people are like - for every nine people that follow the guidelines, one will completely ignore them!
In the United States, the FDA made many flavoured e-liquids illegal because of the potential damage done by flavourings and additives that were finding their way into some flavoured e-liquids in the USA.
Pulegone is found in oils extracted from mint plants and is known to cause cancer. It is found in mint and menthol flavouring and has been detected in e-cigarette vapour.
One study that focused on the levels of pulegone in five e-liquids and one smokeless tobacco product found that pulegone levels were not only higher than the acceptable levels of intake of synthetic pulegone deemed by the FDA, but higher than levels in menthol cigarettes (2).
Diacetyl is a flavouring that was used in popcorn factories, where workers began suffering from a lung disease called bronchiolitis obliterans, commonly known as ‘popcorn lung’. This condition causes the small airways to become inflamed, leading to breathing issues. It is an irreversible condition that needs to be treated to slow its progression; however the median survival time is two and a half years.
While diacetyl is safe as a food ingredient, it is linked to the condition ‘popcorn lung’ when inhaled - so it is already banned for flavourings in e-liquids in Europe and the UK.
Acetoin is another chemical to watch out for - while it is less toxic, acetoin reacts over time in the e-liquid to form diacetyl, and this is sped up in the presence of nicotine (3).
Thirdly, watch out for the inclusion of acetyl propionyl, also called ‘pentanedione’, in vape juice. It is another flavouring that is used in sweet and creamy e-liquid flavours. It is known to cause inflammation of the respiratory tract, lung damage and even death in rats.
What is popcorn lung? It is a condition that was named for the popcorn factories where diacetyl was used as flavouring. Inhaled by the factory workers, many of whom began to suffer coughing and shortness of breath. The medical term, 'bronchiolitis obliterans', refers to the damage done to the smallest airways in the lungs, which makes the airways swollen and leads to scarring that makes them narrower.
This all leads to making it hard to get enough air, leaving sufferers short of breath. Sadly, the damage done is lasting and can be severe. Treatment is required to stave off the inflammation and encourage the airways to open, or in the worst cases a lung transplant may be the only option.
Vape juice itself doesn’t contain heavy metals, but a consequence of heating the e-liquid in contact with metal is the leaching of metal particles into the liquid, which are then present in the aerosol produced.
The more powerful style vape devices produce more of these potentially harmful byproducts, due to the higher temperatures that they can reach, with higher voltages increasing the concentration of some elements, like lead, in the aerosol produced by the vape oil ingredients.
This is where cigalike and pre-filled pod systems could be ahead of the curve - the pre-filled cartridges ensure that the coils are only being used for a short time as they are in the refill, so the coil doesn’t have much of a chance to degrade before the refill is finished.
Add to that the fixed, low power output - the SMOKO E-cigarette battery puts out about 3.5 watts, compared to a box mod that puts out about 40 watts - indicating that the coils in the low powered devices are put under much less strain and heat, reducing the potential for degradation.
Vitamin E acetate is being used by vapers to add illicit substances like THC, the psychoactive component found in cannabis, to their vape juice. Vitamin E acetate is linked to instances of EVALI (e-cigarettes vaping associated lung injury) in the US (4).
Diethylene glycol is another compound that has a multitude of uses, from antifreeze and brake fluid to use in dyes, but also tastes sweet - don’t find out for yourself! It was found to be present in some e-cigarettes in 2009 by the FDA, but it is considered a toxic substance.
Mixing flavours can seem like a fun idea, but one study from Oxford Academic, conducted in 2018, examined the stability of e cig ingredients within the context of e-liquids. The study indicates that flavourings react with the propylene glycol in e-liquid over time, leading to the formation of acetals (5), which can trigger an inflammatory response in the airways.
Considered one of the ‘most toxic’ flavours, cinnamaldehyde is the chemical used for cinnamon flavouring - it can cause lung issues if inhaled, and is known to damage white blood cells and should not be used as an e cig juice ingredients.
Vanilla flavours are made using vanillin, which has been shown to increase numbers of inflammatory white blood cells.
Dimethylpyrazine is the flavouring used for strawberry, and can impact the regulation of liquid on the surfaces of the airways. Isoamyl acetate is the chemical used for banana flavouring, and can cause irritation of the nose, throat and lungs.
Where it seems many flavoring chemicals when inhaled have the potential to trigger an inflammatory response, mixing flavours results in greater levels of free radicals being produced, potentially leading to more tissue damage (6).
SMOKO Customers are often looking for tobacco flavour E-cigarette refills when they first make the switch, which tells us that mixing liquids is not where their priorities lie! Finding one or two flavours that work for you appears to generate long term success!
In the UK, there is no doubt that vaping is better than smoking! As we mentioned earlier, Public Health England regularly review the evidence on vaping and stand by their assessment that vaping is at least 95% less harmful than smoking.
It is worth noting that the UK and the EU are industry leaders when it comes to vaping regulations, so products made in the UK and EU are going to be superior to those found elsewhere in terms of their safety. Things like disposable vapes out of Asia are sealed units and so often skirt around the regulatory process that UK producers of vape juice adhere to, which is why it took investigations by the Daily Mail and British American Tobacco to find that many of the disposable vapes on UK shelves contained illegal levels of e-liquid. If the legal limit for the volume of e-liquid was ignored on such a grand scale, what other rules have they chosen to ignore?
With this in mind, there are a few rules to follow for the utmost safety when you vape.
1) Firstly, buy UK-made e-liquid for vape juice that contains high quality ingredients.
2) Secondly, choosing a low powered device reduces the already-small amount of harmful particulates that vaping does produce, so low power vaping is safer than using a high powered vape mod.
3) Thirdly, buy from a retailer you can trust. Check out customer reviews, speak to them if you can, and any other research like how long they have been in business will give you some clues as to how well they serve their customers!
With a lot of problematic flavourings in use on the global vaping market, taking some care over which e-liquids to purchase is a good idea. The variation of regulation between countries means that vapers are well protected in some places and not others.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins, Maryland USA, recently examined chemicals in e-liquid aerosols from five e-cigarette products in the US, and found the inclusion of tributylphosphine oxide, a solvent, and caffeine, a stimulant. This bolsters the claims that vaping is as harmful as smoking, but remember that the regulation in the USA is not as stringent as here in the UK!
Be sure to look at product reviews on websites, or forums, to get an idea of how cigarette users are responding to a brand. If you are concerned about certain flavourings or ingredients in e-liquids, then see if the brand provides any details regarding the ingredients, either on their website or by request. Transparency is always an encouraging quality in a company!
Public Health England, along with the Royal College of Physicians, estimate that the damage from e-cigarettes will not exceed 5% of the damage done from smoking traditional cigarettes, suggesting that vaping is 95% safer than smoking tobacco products.
This means that despite the presence of certain harmful chemicals, the volumes of these chemicals in electronic cigarette are generally in much lower concentrations than those found in tobacco cigarettes.
Being careful where you buy your liquids and buy from the safest e liquid brand, and using a less powerful device, are the best ways to minimise the harmful chemicals produced by e-cigarettes!
If you are looking for lower powered vaping devices, with e-liquids made in the UK, then check out one of SMOKO’s E-cigarette Starter Kits today!
(1) E-Cigarettes around 95% less harmful than tobacco estimates landmark review
(3) Acetoin is a precursor to diacetyl in e-cigarettes liquids
(4) Outbreak of Lung Injury Associated with the Use of E-Cigarette, or Vaping, Products
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Written by Dan Overgage
Dan Overgage is a former smoker of 10 years until he became a client of SMOKO E-Cigarettes. Dan started working with SMOKO 5 years ago after successfully quitting using our e-cigarettes and works across our Customer Service and heads up our content creation and research with a strong focus on all things quitting smoking. During his tenure with SMOKO, Dan has written countless blogs and consults with countless clients every day to help them to stay smoke-free.
]]>Cancer Research UK indicates there have been no confirmed cases of popcorn lung vaping reported in people who use E-Cigarettes. Diacetyl causes popcorn lung when inhaled in sufficient amounts – like the popcorn factory where workers were inhaling a lot – and while it has been found in E-Cigarettes overseas, the amounts are likely too small to cause harm. However, diacetyl is banned from e-liquids in the UK and the EU for safety.
*2022 Update - The PACT act has put E-Cigarettes on the prohibited list for most US shipping services. Until this changes, we are unable to send to the United States.
(1) U.S Food & Drug Administration: Code of Federal Regulations Title 21
(2) E-Cigarettes around 95% less harmful than tobacco estimates landmark review
(3) Using e-cigarettes to stop smoking
(4) Popcorn Lung: A Dangerous Risk of Flavored E-Cigarettes
(5) Does vaping cause popcorn lung?
(6) Occupational Exposure to Diacetyl and 2,3-Pentanedione
(8) Common e-cigarette chemical flavourings may impair lung function
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Written by Mike Cameron
Mike Cameron is a former smoker of 15 years (2 packs a day) until he successfully quit using a cigalike. Mike is the Co-Founder and CEO of SMOKO E-Cigarettes and over the last 10 years, SMOKO has prevented 600M+ cigarettes from being smoked, helped their customers save £320M+ of their hard-earned money from going up in smoke and helped 10,000’s of adult smokers in 25+ countries to live smoke-free.
]]>In most situations, E-Cigarettes will not set off smoke alarms. The particles evaporate too quickly to set off alpha particle style alarms, and don't generate enough heat to trigger a heat-based smoke alarm. With that said, one instance has been observed of an in-flight passenger vaping in the airplane bathroom that triggered the fire alarm on board so avoid vaping in small, enclosed spaces with a fire alarm.
(1) Money and Mental Health Policy Institute - The Facts: What you need to know
(2) Long-term conditions and mental health - The cost of co-morbidities
(3) How Smoking Affects Your Workout
(4) Stopping smoking may improve mental health, Cochrane review finds
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Written by Mike Cameron
Mike Cameron is a former smoker of 15 years (2 packs a day) until he successfully quit using a cigalike. Mike is the Co-Founder and CEO of SMOKO E-Cigarettes and over the last 10 years, SMOKO has prevented 600M+ cigarettes from being smoked, helped their customers save £320M+ of their hard-earned money from going up in smoke and helped 10,000’s of adult smokers in 25+ countries to live smoke-free.
]]>Updates to the Tobacco Products Directive included bans on flavoured tobacco products, including cigarettes and rolling tobacco. Menthol filter tips are not banned, however they cannot be sold in a package with tobacco products. The European Union banned menthol to reduce the appeal of tobacco to reduce the number of smoking related deaths and reduce their appeal to young people, thereby reducing the number of smokers in the EU.
(1) Vitamin E Acetate as a Plausible Cause of Acute Vaping-related Illness
(2) VAPE ALERT Shocking scan reveals first case of vaping-related lung disease in UK
(3) Here's How Celebs Are Sneakily Promoting Products And You Don't Even Realize It
(4) Simon Cowell Cuts Down On The Ciggies - Thanks To Vaping
(1) Everything You Need to Know About Nicotine Withdrawal
(2) Vaping in England: evidence update February 2021
(3) Biomonitoring Summary: Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Overview
(5) A Randomized Trial of E-Cigarettes versus Nicotine-Replacement Therapy
(6) Health Benefits of Quitting Smoking Over Time
Dan Overgage is a former smoker of 10 years until he became a client of SMOKO E-Cigarettes. Dan started working with SMOKO 5 years ago after successfully quitting using our e-cigarettes and works across our Customer Service and heads up our content creation and research with a strong focus on all things quitting smoking. During his tenure with SMOKO, Dan has written countless blogs and consults with countless clients every day to help them to stay smoke-free.
]]>Don't expect that you'll be able to go completely cold turkey. You'll miss the habit of smoking, which is why you should switch to e-cigarettes. These are much healthier than standard cigarettes and are also kinder to your pocket. They trick your body into thinking it is smoking, as it is the same movement. E-cigarettes are possibly the best tool that you can have while quitting smoking.
(1) Green spaces aren’t just for nature – they boost our mental health too
(2) Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing
(6) The Association between Green Space and Adolescents’ Mental Well-Being: A Systematic Review
(7) A Randomized Trial of E-Cigarettes versus Nicotine-Replacement Therapy
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Written by Dan Overgage
Dan Overgage is a former smoker of 10 years until he became a client of SMOKO E-Cigarettes. Dan started working with SMOKO 5 years ago after successfully quitting using our e-cigarettes and works across our Customer Service and heads up our content creation and research with a strong focus on all things quitting smoking. During his tenure with SMOKO, Dan has written countless blogs and consults with countless clients every day to help them to stay smoke-free.
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