Shenzhen Cracks Down on Vaping Product Sales to Minors Near Schools

As public awareness of health increases, smoking bans in public places and the avoidance of secondhand smoke have become common topics, even explicitly stated in the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Smoking Control Regulations, which include e-cigarettes as tobacco products.<\/p>

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E-cigarettes claim to be "naturally healthy," "detoxifying," and "a smoking cessation tool," but is this really the case? While e-cigarettes do not produce tar and carbon monoxide, many on the market still contain harmful substances like nicotine. At first glance, they seem much healthier, but let’s not forget that nicotine is the culprit behind smoking addiction!<\/p>

On October 30, the National Tobacco Monopoly Administration and the State Administration for Market Regulation issued a notice titled "Further Protecting Minors from E-Cigarette Harm" (hereinafter referred to as the "Notice"), urging e-cigarette manufacturers and sellers to promptly shut down e-cigarette online sales websites or apps; urging e-commerce platforms to promptly close e-cigarette stores and remove e-cigarette products; and urging e-cigarette manufacturers and sellers to withdraw e-cigarette advertisements published online. The Shenzhen Market Supervision Administration has also launched a series of special regulatory actions on e-cigarettes.<\/p>

1. The Shenzhen Market Supervision Administration's Market Inspection Bureau, in conjunction with the Shenzhen Tobacco Monopoly Bureau, visited and researched e-cigarette companies in Shenzhen, promoting the spirit of the "Notice" and urging them to promptly close online sales channels and withdraw e-cigarette advertisements.<\/p>

2. The Market Inspection Bureau, in conjunction with the Shenzhen Institute of Metrology and Quality Inspection, conducted risk monitoring and sampling inspections of e-cigarette products produced by Shenzhen e-cigarette companies, sampling 33 batches of e-cigarette products (the product coverage is limited, and the relevant conclusions are for reference only), as the national mandatory standards for these products are under approval, testing was conducted according to relevant standards.<\/p>

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Testing Conclusions:<\/strong><\/p>

1. This inspection sampled 7 batches of products from 4 inspected units, using the national standard draft for e-cigarettes, mainly testing the battery part of the e-cigarettes for compression, heavy impact, and thermal abuse. All tested items met the standard requirements, and no non-compliant products were found. Statistics show that among the 7 batches of samples, 5 batches used corporate standards, and 2 batches used Shenzhen local standards. Based on the inspection standards, the risk level of non-compliance for the samples is considered ordinary risk.<\/p>

2. A total of 26 batches of e-liquid samples were extracted for testing nicotine, phthalates, and heavy metal content (measured as Pb). The testing results showed that among the 26 batches, phthalates and heavy metal content (measured as Pb) were not detected, but nicotine was detected in all samples, with a content range of 2.6×10-4~55 mg/g. Among these, 23 batches had nicotine content exceeding the 24 mg/g limit set by the General Technical Requirements for E-Cigarette Liquids (SZDB/Z157-2015), resulting in a non-compliance rate of 88.5%. Nicotine is the main functional component in e-liquid and can lead to dependence (addiction). Long-term consumption of nicotine can also harm the respiratory, cardiovascular, and digestive systems.<\/p>

3. The Market Inspection Bureau proactively gathered clues and recently organized law enforcement inspections of e-cigarette companies, discovering that 3 brand e-cigarette companies were using their corporate websites to promote franchise recruitment, suspected of advertising violations, and have been filed for investigation.<\/p>