Chinese vaping giant Elf Bar accused of skirting the law with potent new device – that has the strength of 240 cigarettes and costs £12.99
Chinese vaping giant Elf Bar has been accused of circumventing British law with a £12.99 device that has the power of 240 cigarettes.
The AF5000 is advertised as being pre-filled with 2ml of liquid nicotine – the legal maximum for a disposable e-cigarette.
But it also has a click-on 10ml ‘reservoir’, bringing the total to 12ml, allowing 5,000 ‘puffs of immense satisfaction’ from a single device.
The EU has warned member states about the ‘dangerous’ device, which will likely lead to a European ban.
There are also calls for it to be removed from British shelves, for fear it could fall into the hands of vulnerable young people.
Last year some supermarkets stopped selling Elf Bar products after a Mail investigation found they were significantly stronger than advertised (File Image)
The AF5000 is advertised as being pre-filled with 2ml of liquid nicotine – the legal maximum for a disposable e-cigarette
Chinese vaping giant Elf Bar accused of circumventing UK law (File image)
Steve Brine, former chairman of the House of Commons health committee, said: ‘This cynical move will not surprise anyone. These companies will always find a way to protect their profits, which is why the law must stay several steps ahead of them.
‘This impulse election, which made a killing just like the Tobacco and Vapes Act, has given them a welcome breather. But the next government must act quickly and revive that crucial piece of legislation from day one.”
Former Tory MP Caroline Johnson, a pediatric consultant, said: ‘This is a clear sign that the industry will do everything it can to circumvent the law so that more people can become addicted to nicotine products.
‘These new devices are clearly not intended to help people quit smoking, but as an alternative source of income from addiction.
“One of the reasons I wanted to make sure the Tobacco and Vape Act passed is because it is so important to protect children’s health. We don’t want a whole generation of addicted children.’
Shadow Health Minister Preet Gill urged the government to take “urgent action” to remove the fumes from shelves.
She said: ‘Vaping among young people has soared. We proposed measures to tackle vaping aimed at children more than two years ago, but these were blocked by the Conservatives.
‘A Labor government will take tough action to prevent a new generation becoming addicted to nicotine. We will curb underage vaping by banning vapes from being branded and advertised to children.”
The AF5000 is available in 15 different flavors, including Blueberry Sour Raspberry, Watermelon Ice, Triple Mango, Blue Razz Lemonade, Kiwi Passion Fruit Guava and Pineapple Mojito.
Pukka Juice, a Blackburn-based online vape retailer, describes the device as a ‘powerhouse’ that ‘outperforms eight standard disposables, making it a cost-effective and sustainable choice for discerning vapers’.
Under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016, disposable vapes – including single-use cartridges or tanks – must contain no more than 2ml of nicotine liquid.
Pukka Juice, a Blackburn-based online vape retailer, describes the device as a ‘powerhouse’ that ‘outperforms eight standard disposables, making it a cost-effective and sustainable choice for discerning vapers’.
Last night, Elf Bar insisted that the AF5000 complied with the law and said it was investigating the EU warning.
A spokesperson said: ‘We take product compliance across all global markets seriously and are following the necessary steps to meet relevant criteria.’
Last year some supermarkets stopped selling Elf Bar products after a Mail investigation found they were significantly stronger than advertised.
The Tobacco and Vaping Act promised to ban all disposable vapes, but failed to pass in time before Parliament was dissolved for the general election.
In its safety alert on the AF5000, the EU warned: ‘The device has been enhanced with a refill tank. This change could lead to the accidental consumption of a high dose of nicotine. Nicotine is acutely toxic and can compromise user safety, especially if the product comes into contact with the skin or is ingested.”
It comes after a teenage girl burned a hole in her lung after vaping the equivalent of 400 cigarettes in a week.
Kyla Blight, 17, from Egremont, Cumbria, underwent more than five hours of surgery to remove part of her lung and her heart almost stopped because of her habit.
Her father Mark warned other parents about the hidden dangers of vaping, which have been linked to lung disease, narrowed blood vessels and even cancer.
Figures show that one in five children in Britain have tried vaping, despite it being illegal for under-18s, while the number of children using vaping has tripled in the past three years.
Everything you need to know about e-cigarettes
How much nicotine is in an e-cigarette?
There are many different brands of e-cigarettes, with different nicotine levels.
The legal amount of nicotine in an e-liquid capacity in the UK is 20 mg/ml, which is equivalent to between 600 and 800 puffs.
The Elf Bar 600, one of the most popular vapes in the UK, is advertised as being available in nicotine strengths of 0mg, 10mg and 20mg.
How many cigarettes are in an e-cigarette?
The Elf Bar 600 contains the equivalent of 48 cigarettes, analysts say.
It delivers 600 puffs before needing to be thrown away, meaning that in theory every 12.5 puffs equals one cigarette.
Experts say that for many e-cigarettes, 100 puffs are equivalent to ten regular cigarettes.
Elf Bars is a brand of e-cigarettes often sold in trendy colors and with kid-friendly names and flavors, such as blue razz lemonade and green gummy bear
Is vaping better for your health than cigarettes?
According to the NHS, vaping products are considered better than cigarettes because users are exposed to fewer toxins and lower levels.
The health department adds that vaping instead of smoking cigarettes reduces your exposure to toxins that can cause cancer, lung disease and diseases of the heart and circulatory system, such as strokes and heart attacks.
Public Health England, which no longer exists, published an independent expert review in 2015 which concluded that e-cigarettes are around 95 percent less harmful than cigarettes.
However, vaping is not without risk because even though the levels in tobacco products are much higher, e-cigarettes still contain harmful toxins, according to a study by researchers at the Medical University of Silesia in Poland.
And Dr. Onkar Mudhar, a London dentist who posts videos on TikTok, said Elven bars can cause gingivitis, swelling and bleeding.
He said this is because nicotine dries out your mouth and reduces saliva, causing irritation from a buildup of bacteria and food that can’t be washed away.
Nearly 350 hospital admissions were recorded in England in 2022 due to vaping, which are believed to be mainly due to respiratory problems such as shortness of breath, chest pain, pneumonia and, in severe cases, respiratory failure.
