WHO Recommendation to Ban E-Cigarette Sales Triggers a 'Crisis' for Hundreds of Pearl River Delta OE

Introduction: E-cigarettes also produce toxic components and harm health. A spokesperson for the World Health Organization stated that the smoke produced by e-cigarettes is not the water vapor they claim, and it also contains nicotine. The WHO recommends banning the sale of e-cigarettes, which poses a crisis for most e-cigarette OEM factories in China.
Chinese e-cigarette news: According to reports from Economic Voice, cigarettes are harmful to health, so are e-cigarettes absolutely safe? The World Health Organization released a report stating that e-cigarettes also produce toxic components and harm health. A spokesperson for the WHO stated that e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive and offers little benefit for quitting smoking. Additionally, the water vapor from e-cigarettes contains nicotine, and its secondhand smoke can also affect the health of those around. Especially with some candy-flavored e-cigarettes, they can easily attract young people to use them. We hope to limit the promotion and use of e-cigarettes.
Some e-cigarette users in Europe and America feel dissatisfied, believing that e-cigarettes help them quit smoking and reduce their chances of developing cancer.
E-cigarette user: I have been using e-cigarettes for many years, and it has little harm to my body.
E-cigarette user: E-cigarettes only contain nicotine and no tar, which is a great product for us.
Manufacturers are also feeling anxious, with a manager from a Shenzhen company stating that e-cigarettes have been controversial since their inception. E-cigarettes consist of a device and e-liquid, which can contain nicotine and are very popular in Europe and America.
Manager: Our nicotine can be adjusted from 12mg to 6mg, 3mg, and down to 0mg, allowing users to gradually quit smoking. Currently, e-cigarettes are mainly popular in Europe and America, but more as a replacement for traditional cigarettes. People smoke e-cigarettes casually.
Reporter: Who adds the e-liquid?
Manager: In the first generation of products, the e-liquid in the device was added by the manufacturer, and it could also be flavored, making it disposable. Now it is the second generation - atomizers, where users buy e-liquid to add themselves.
Reporter: So is the main concern whether the e-liquid contains nicotine?
Manager: The harm of nicotine is relatively small; the real harm comes from carbon monoxide and tar in traditional cigarettes, while nicotine is just addictive.
E-cigarettes were invented by a Chinese person named Han Li, consisting of a battery, atomizer, and e-liquid, providing a cloud-like effect when inhaled. Initially, e-cigarettes were promoted in China with advertisements and celebrity endorsements, although they were marketed as "smoking cessation" products, sales were not ideal, and the market is now mainly concentrated in Europe and America.
With increasingly strict smoking bans in Europe and America, some places prohibit smoking in all public areas, including bars and restaurants, while others do not allow indoor smoking, and designated smoking areas are established on the streets, leading smokers to choose e-cigarettes. However, some governments have recognized the dangers of e-cigarettes, and a manager from an e-cigarette company stated that once the ban is implemented, the market will essentially be finished.
Manager: Some states in the U.S., Malaysia, and Singapore had once booming markets, but after the government-led smoking bans, the market collapsed. In the Pearl River Delta region of China, there are over 500 e-cigarette OEM factories, accounting for over 90% of global e-cigarette sales. A manager from an e-cigarette company described the industry as chaotic.
Manager: In 2011 and 2012, the e-cigarette industry was developing well, but in 2013, many small factories began to enter, as the technology is simple, and one can start a factory with just a few hundred thousand yuan. Outsiders can easily see how to produce them. The intense competition is reflected in the constant introduction of new products.
Manager stated that the so-called technological updates are merely aesthetic designs, flavor additions, or increased battery power to produce more vapor, with no fundamental innovation.
Currently, the factory price of e-cigarettes ranges from a few dozen to several hundred yuan, with varying quality. The manager stated that the industry lacks a regulatory body; it does not belong to tobacco, resembling small electronic products, and is in a gray area.
Another e-cigarette factory manager, Mr. Wang, shares similar sentiments. He stated that everyone is feeling their way through the process, and to avoid trouble, many only produce e-cigarettes and do not engage in the e-liquid business, as it may contain nicotine, which could lead to export issues. They maintain this bottom line and follow customer demands for the rest.
Manager Wang: In foreign countries, e-cigarettes are increasingly regulated as tobacco products. However, there are currently no standards in China, and production is based on customer needs, with little difference, but quality varies greatly. It is very chaotic.
Economic Voice observer Tao Yueqing: Initially, e-cigarettes were merely a substitute for traditional cigarettes, helping people quit smoking and reduce dependence on cigarettes. However, everyone initially thought that e-cigarettes were inhaling water vapor, and exhaling a puff of water vapor made it seem like e-cigarettes could indeed help with quitting. However, e-cigarettes are not entirely the water vapor we imagined; they contain nicotine, which is harmful to the human body, and e-cigarettes should also be banned. E-cigarettes are a Chinese invention and could be considered the fifth great invention, following the four great inventions, but this product lacks strong product identification and standards, making it easy to manufacture; it is essentially an electronic device. The e-cigarette market should be regulated like traditional cigarettes. Additionally, e-cigarettes have become increasingly flashy, with features like music playback and phone calls, turning them into small appliances, even wearable devices, with various functions being added. However, we must have a standard: what exactly is an e-cigarette? What are the nicotine and tar contents added to e-cigarettes? How harmful are they to the human body?