Why have Elf bar vapes been recalled and are they going to be banned?
DISPOSABLE vapes have soared in popularity with a wide range of flavours on offer in shops and supermarkets.
One of the most popular brands, ELFBAR, have seen sales rocket as most major retailers stock their product in huge supply.
Why have Elf bar vapes been recalled?
Elf bar vapes have been removed from the shelves in three major supermarkets after they were found to contain 50 per cent more than the legal limit of nicotine.
The national nicotine limit for vapes is 2ml, which equates to a maximum 2 per cent nicotine strength.
But the watermelon flavoured ELFBAR 600, was found to have between 3ml and 3.2ml.
The popular e-cigarette is now under investigation, with Trading Standards looking into it.
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Various supermarkets have taken action, removing the watermelon line from its shelves.
Can I still buy an Elf bar vape?
While retailers Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco have removed the watermelon ELFBAR 600 from its shelves, the e-cigarette company's other lines are still on sale.
The watermelon vape is still readily available via many online retailers despite the news that they contain illegal levels of nicotine in the liquid.
Further investigations are continuing into the brand's many different lines of flavours, but no retailer has opted to take a blanket ban on the product.
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A spokesperson for ELFBAR told the : "We found out that some batches of the Elf Bar product have been overfilled in the UK.
"It appears that e-liquid tank sizes, which are standard in other markets [such as the US], have been inadvertently fitted to some of our UK products.
"We wholeheartedly apologise for the inconvenience this has caused."
Are Elf bar vapes going to be banned?
Trading Standards are continuing their investigations into the many lines offered by ELFBAR.
Many different countries have varying regulations on the sale of products and what the companies must do in order to comply and be able to sell their product there.
In this instance, it seems according to the ELFBAR brand themselves that some of the watermelon lines were incorrectly fitted with chambers intended for the US market.
While these versions may comply with regulations in the US, it is not the case in Britain.
It seems that this was an error and it is highly unlikely that there will be any sort of ban preventing the product from being sold in this country.
Are Elf bar vapes bad for you?
E-cigarettes are widely accepted as being better for your health than smoking.
A Government report carried out by Public Health England, now known as the UK Health Security Agency found they are around 95 per cent less harmful than traditional cigarettes.
As a result they are recommended to smokers who are trying to quit.
Unlike cigarettes, e-cigarettes do not contain tar or carbon monoxide - two of the most harmful chemicals in traditional cigarettes.
However, that does not mean vapes are safe - they still come with risk.
Countless studies have linked nicotine - the main chemical in e-cigarettes - to problems with the heart, including cardiac arrest.
Meanwhile, a recent study found vaping puts young people at higher risk of developing severe Covid.
What's more, experts have argued that a surge in the number of young people vaping is acting as a gateway to nicotine addiction, and smoking.
Given the fact that e-cigarettes are a relatively new device, scientists have cautioned that we do not truly know the long-term health effects.
Professor Charles Swanton, of the Francis Crick Institute and chief clinician at Cancer Research UK warned we can't be sure what the future holds.
Commenting on a study he worked on that found vaping could 'wake up' cancer cells and cause the disease in the same way as air pollution, he said: "I don't think we can say vaping is necessarily a safe option to quit smoking.
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"It may be safer but that doesn't mean it's safe.
"We don't know for certain vaping won't causes lung cancer ten years from now."