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

Oct 14, 2024

By Chris Pollard 21:59 12 Jun 2024, updated 09:27 13 Jun 2024

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Chinese vaping giant Elf Bar has been accused of skirting UK law with a £12.99 device that has the strength of 240 cigarettes.

The AF5000 is advertised as coming pre-filled with 2ml of liquid nicotine – the legal maximum for a disposable e-cigarette.

But it also has a clip-on 10ml ‘reservoir’ taking its total up to 12ml, allowing 5,000 ‘puffs of huge satisfaction’ from a single device.

The EU has alerted member states about the ‘dangerous’ device, which is likely to lead to a Europe-wide ban.

There are calls to strip it from UK shelves as well amid fears it could fall into the hands of vulnerable young people.

Steve Brine, former chairman of the Commons health committee, said: ‘This cynical move will surprise nobody. These businesses will always find a way to protect profits, which is why the law has to stay several steps ahead of them.

‘This impulse election, killing as it did the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, has given them a welcome breather. But the next Government needs to move fast and revive that crucial piece of legislation on day one.’

Former Tory MP Caroline Johnson, a paediatric consultant, said: ‘This is a clear sign that the industry will do anything to skirt the law so it can addict more people to nicotine products.

‘These new devices are clearly not intended to help people quit smoking but as an alternative source of addiction to make revenue.

‘One of the reasons I wanted to make sure that the Tobacco and Vapes Bill went through is that it’s 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 get the vapes taken off shelves.

She said: ‘Youth vaping has soared. We put forward measures to tackle vapes being aimed at children more than two years ago, but these were blocked by the Conservatives.

‘A Labour government will take tough action to stop a new generation getting hooked on nicotine. We will clamp down on underage vaping by banning vapes from being branded and advertised to children.’

The AF5000 comes in 15 different flavours 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 ‘surpasses 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 – can contain no more than 2ml of nicotine liquid.

Pukka Juice, a Blackburn-based online vape retailer, describes the device as a ‘powerhouse’ that ‘surpasses eight standard disposables, making it a cost-effective and sustainable choice for discerning vapers’.

Last night, Elf Bar insisted the AF5000 was compliant with the law and said it was investigating the EU alert.

A spokesman said: ‘We take product compliance in all global markets seriously and follow the necessary steps to meet relevant criteria.’

Last year, some supermarkets stopped selling Elf Bar products after a Mail investigation found they were considerably stronger than advertised.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill promised to ban all disposable vapes, but it 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 is extended with a refill tank. This modification could lead to the accidental consumption of a high dose of nicotine. Nicotine is acutely toxic and can endanger the user’s safety, notably 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, of Egremont, Cumbria, underwent surgery for more than five hours to remove part of her lung and her heart nearly stopped due to her habit.

Her father Mark warned other parents about the hidden dangers of vapes, which have been linked to lung disease, narrowed arteries and even cancer.

Figures show that one in five children in the UK has tried vaping despite it being illegal for under-18s, while the number of children using vapes has tripled in the last three years.

How much nicotine is in an e-cigarette?

There are many different brands of e-cigarettes, containing various different nicotine levels.

The legal amount of nicotine in an e-liquid capacity in the UK is 20mg/ml equating to between 600 and 800 puffs.

The Elf Bar 600, one of Britain's most popular vapes, is advertised as coming in nicotine strengths of 0mg, 10mg and 20mg.

How many cigarettes are 'in' an e-cigarette?

The Elf Bar 600 contains the equivalent to 48 cigarettes, analysts say.

It delivers 600 puffs before it needs to be thrown away, meaning, in theory, every 12.5 puffs equate to one cigarette.

Experts say for many e-cigarettes, 100 puffs equate to ten normal cigarettes.

Is vaping better for your health than cigarettes?

Vaping products are considered to be better than cigarettes as users are exposed to fewer toxins and at lower levels, according to the NHS.

The health service adds that vaping instead of smoking cigarettes reduces your exposure to toxins that can cause cancer, lung disease and diseases of the heart and circulation, such as strokes and heart attacks.

Public Health England, which is now defunct, published an expert independent review in 2015 concluding that e-cigarettes are around 95 per cent less harmful than cigarettes.

However vaping is not risk-free, as while levels in tobacco-products are much higher, e-cigarettes still contain harmful toxins, according to a study by researchers from the Medical University of Silesia in Poland.

And Dr Onkar Mudhar, a London dentist who posts videos on TikTok, said Elf bars can cause gum inflammation, swelling and bleeding.

He said this is because nicotine dries out your mouth and reduces saliva, causing irritation from a build-up of bacteria and food that can't get washed away.

Nearly 350 hospitalisations due to vaping were logged in England in 2022, which are thought to be mainly down to respiratory problems, such as shortness of breath, chest pain, lung inflammation and, in severe cases, respiratory failure.

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