The latest litter problem - vaping packaging

[megilleland]

On my litter picks notice there is a new product on the streets. These contain nicotine and should not be sold to under 18s. They come in various flavours which appeal to the younger generation. The worst aspect of the packaging is the small rubber stopper to the container, which like the plastic drink bottle tops wash down the drain, although most drains are blocked and kerbs are overgrown. The manufacturers, Chinese and the marketeers, Romanian don't care and the local shop keepers display the products at the point of sale encouraging their use. The packaging warns users with a skull and crossbones graphic as part of its design.

Vaping packages and rubber stoppers

Plastic drinks bottle tops

[megilleland]

This tells you how bad things are getting. In The Guardian today.

Tiny turtle pooed ‘pure plastic’ for six days after rescue from Sydney beach

A baby green sea turtle rescued from a Sydney beach had eaten so much plastic that it took six days for the contents to be excreted, according to Taronga zoo’s wildlife hospital.

The 127-gram hatchling was found lying on its back in a rockpool near Sydney’s Tamarama beach. It was missing one of its four flippers, had a chip in another, and had a hole in its shell.

Carers said that aside from these injuries, the turtle appeared to be in good physical condition and had no trouble swimming.

“But then it started to defecate, and it defecated plastic for six days. No faeces came out, just pure plastic,” the Taronga veterinary nurse Sarah Male said.

“It was all different sizes, colours and compositions. Some were hard, some were sharp, and with some, you could tell the plastic had writing on it. This is all some of these poor little things are eating. There’s so much plastic around they’re just consuming it as their first initial food,” she said.

States including New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia, have all brought in tougher bans on single-use plastic, but the scale of the problem is at times overwhelming.

More than 8m tonnes pour into oceans around the world each year. The majority is carried out to sea by rivers, dumped along coastlines or abandoned by fishing vessels.

A study of a beach on Henderson Island, one of the world’s most remote places, found nearly 38m pieces of plastic strewn across the sand.

However, CSIRO researchers reported in June that local actions were making a difference with the amount of plastic pollution on Australia’s coast decreasing by up to 30% on average as a result of work by local governments to reduce litter.

“If everybody just takes a little bit of their time to pick up a bit of rubbish – it doesn’t have to be on the beach – then hopefully we can make a difference,” Male said.

[megilleland]

‘When I see kids vaping, I warn them: that’s what killed my daughter’

“She would go into the local shop and buy these vaping liquids but you would never see the same bottle twice,” said Rachel Howe, 45, her mother. “There would be coconut, cherry, bubblegum vapes. It was constantly in her mouth.”

[Steve Major]

I hate vapes! Walking behind a couple in Hereford yesterday and some much smoke/vape came from them and straight into my mouth! VILE 

[megilleland]

In El Pais newspaper 8th September 2022:

Juul to pay $439 million in damages over marketing e-cigarettes to teens

The company used launch parties, giveaways and free samples to lure young adults, who quickly became addicted to their high-nicotine vaping products

The e-cigarette brand Juul has paid a high cost for targeting teenagers in its marketing strategy. The firm will have to pay $438.5 million to 33 states in the United States, as well as Puerto Rico, as a result of a court settlement reached on Tuesday between the two sides.

The plaintiffs claimed Juul was responsible for addicting minors to their high-nicotine vaping products with launch parties, giveaways and free samples. They also pointed to how the company used young models on social media to promote their products. In the United States, the legal age to purchase e-cigarettes is 21, the same age for tobacco.
The multimillion-dollar settlement is just one of many setbacks facing the company, which still has nine separate lawsuits pending and is facing hundreds of personal injury lawsuits brought on behalf of underage users who say they became addicted to the company’s vaping products. What’s more, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned Juul last June from marketing Virginia tobacco flavored pods and menthol flavored pods at nicotine concentrations of 5.0% and 3.0%. It also ordered the company to remove the products from the market.

Thirty-three US states and Puerto Rico joined together in 2020 to seek compensation from Juul. The lawsuit was led by Texas, Oregon and Connecticut. William Tong, the attorney general of Connecticut, celebrated the settlement in a statement on Tuesday.

“[Juul] relentlessly marketed vaping products to underage youth, manipulated their chemical composition to be palatable to inexperienced users, employed an inadequate age verification process, and misled consumers about the nicotine content and addictiveness of its products,” he said. “The full public health ramifications of this misconduct are yet unknown. Through this settlement, we have secured hundreds of millions of dollars to help reduce nicotine use and forced Juul to accept a series of strict injunctive terms to end youth marketing and crack down on underage sales,”

Each state will receive a different amount as part of the court settlement. Connecticut, for example, will receive $16.2 million, while Texas will be paid $42.8 million. In addition to the compensation, “the agreement also includes strong marketing, sales and distribution restrictions, including restrictions on marketing to persons under age 35,” as well as “age verification requirements on all sales,” said Texas Attorney General Tom Paxton in a statement.

The $438.5 million will be paid out over a period of six to 10 years. The longer it takes to pay the settlement, the more it will have to pay. It could end up paying $476.6 million if it gets too close to the deadline.

Following the settlement, Juul released a statement calling the deal an expression of its “commitment to resolve issues from the past.” It added: “The terms of the agreement are aligned with our current business practices which we started to implement after our company-wide reset in the fall of 2019.”

Juul, is owned by Altria, which is also the parent company of tobacco brand Phillip Morris. The vaping company burst onto the market, using technology and design to win over customers. It sold itself as the “iPhone of vapers,” and built a niche by targeting young people.

__________________________________________________________

That's a lot of financial compensation. Appears to be many people using these products, judging by the litter on our streets, and they not realising the full health effects on their bodies.

 

 

[megilleland]

Dangers of Vaping

Vaping users may not realise what they are letting themselves in for. For such a small item the product carries a lot of potential problems for the user. The information contained on the packet and inside foil list the dangers. How many people read this information bearing in mind you need a magnifying glass to see it. So you don't go blind trying to read the advice, I have listed below the information in an easy to read format. As a litter picker this item is very popular on our streets and with young people and non smokers.

18+ 

2% Nicotine - 600 Puffs - Mesh Coil

This product contains nicotine which is a highly addictive substance.

www.skevape.com

Instructions
This product is intended for use with various strengths of e-liquid. If you come into direct contact with such liquid whilst using this product please wash your hands and forearms thoroughly.

Exposure to such liquid can be harmful if it gets into your eyes. In which case flush your eyes with water and seek medical attention. If swallowed rinse out your mouth and seek immediate medical attention. When seeking medical advice have the liquid product container or label at hand.

Danger - skull and crossbones graphic

This product is not intended for use by children and non-smokers

Ingredient: Vegetable Glycerin, Propylene, Glycol, Flavors, Nicotine (EC200-193-3). 20mg * 66.67ugml; content of Nicotine per puff. (2%) 20mg/ml content of nicotine.

Parameters
Size:17x17x104mm
E-liquid capacity: 20ml
Coil: 1.2 Q Meshcoil
Puff: 600 puffs
Battery capacity: 500 mah

Warning and precautions
Underage sales prohibited. This product is not for use by children and non smokers. 
Keep the contents of this product out of reach of children, non-smokers and animals.
Store the product at a temperature between 18-30 degrees C and out of direct sunlight. Do not refrigerate, freeze, heat the product.

Do not use if pregnant or breast feeding. Do not use if you have an unstable heart condition, severe hypertension or diabetes. Please read all of this information carefully before you begin to use this product.

Battery recycling
This products battery should not be treated as household waste. Instead it should be handed over to the applicable used battery collection point for recycling.

EEE recycling
This product should not be treated as household waste. Instead it should be handed over to the applicable collection point for the recycling of electrical and electronic equipment.

Further Adverse Precautions listed on foil wrapper inside Vaping Packet
First time e-cigarette users may experience irritation of the mouth, a dry throat or cough. If you inhale too much nicotine or use the product too much you may experience one or more of the following effects: Feeling Faint, Nausea (feeling sick), Coughing, Irritation in the mouth or throat dizziness, Stomach discomfort, Hiccups, Vomiting, Chest palpitations, Abnormal heart rate. If you are experiencing any of these side effects listed as above discontinue using this product. If the effects continue after you stop use, consult your doctor or healthcare professional and report the incident as per the guidance to their attention.

Previous to this vaping craze, laughing gas cylinders are also popular although the government are planning to crack down on their use.

UK ban on laughing gas sale or possession poised to go ahead

(extracts from The Guardian 28th January 2023)

Suella Braverman pushing plan to change law on nitrous oxide as part of crackdown on antisocial behaviour. The Home Office is preparing to introduce a long-expected ban on the sale or possession of nitrous oxide, one of the most popular recreational drugs among young people, as part of a wider crackdown on antisocial behaviour.

The plan is being pushed by the home secretary, Suella Braverman, according to officials, and would lead to people found with laughing gas, which is usually inhaled from balloons filled through small metal cylinders, facing prosecution.

Discarded nitrous oxide cylinders are a ubiquitous sight on high streets and at festivals, with almost one in 10 16 to 24 year olds reporting having taking the drug in 2019-20.

The gas produces sensations of euphoria, giggling and hallucinations, but can also cause dizziness and impaired memory, as well as accidents from leg weakness. It can also cause neurological problems by inactivating the vitamin B12.

Doctors have warned about an increase in spinal cord and nerve damage caused by the drug, including paralysis.

[Hereford Voice]

On 27/07/2022 at 12:42, megilleland said:

On my litter picks notice there is a new product on the streets. These contain nicotine and should not be sold to under 18s. They come in various flavours which appeal to the younger generation. The worst aspect of the packaging is the small rubber stopper to the container, which like the plastic drink bottle tops wash down the drain, although most drains are blocked and kerbs are overgrown. The manufacturers, Chinese and the marketeers, Romanian don't care and the local shop keepers display the products at the point of sale encouraging their use. The packaging warns users with a skull and crossbones graphic as part of its design.

Vaping packages and rubber stoppers

Plastic drinks bottle tops

More plastic finding its way into our waterways and on our streets. 

[megilleland]

Vaping – it’s bad and not just because tiny children are doing it!
First Dog on the Moon at The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/feb/03/vaping-its-bad-and-not-just-because-tiny-children-are-doing-it

[megilleland]

Woman, 34, 'happy to be alive' after vaping addiction saw her on life support

I was crying because I was in so much pain," she said.

A woman is “happy to be alive” after her vaping addiction left her on life support suffering a life-threatening lung condition. Amanda Stelzer, 34, said she started vaping seven years ago when her friends all started doing it, with the cool flavours giving her a "buzz". Over that period she was getting through two four-packs of liquid cartridges every week or the equivalent of more than one cartridge a day, but eventually she ended up in hospital.

Amanda, from Delaware in Ohio, in the US, visited an urgent care centre in October 2019 because she was struggling to breathe, had severe lower back pain and felt like her heart was "beating out of her chest".

Amanda was then diagnosed with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a life-threatening injury where the lungs cannot provide enough oxygen to the body.

Despite extensive bloodwork and urine tests, doctors couldn’t work out what was wrong and sent her to the hospital in an ambulance.

Within 24 hours of being there, Amanda was put on life support.

(more here)

[megilleland]

The Guardian 8th Sept 2023

Call for UK ban on single-use vapes as more than 5m discarded each week

Five million single-use vapes are being thrown away in the UK every week, a fourfold increase on 2022, research has found.

This amounts to eight vapes a second being discarded, with the lithium in the products enough to create 5,000 electric car batteries a year.

The not-for-profit organisation Material Focus, which conducted the research, said the problem was out of control.

The findings come after a series of calls for a ban, with councils and leading paediatricians among those demanding action on vapes because of health and environmental concerns.

Scott Butler, the executive director at Material Focus, said the “problem with single-use vapes has gotten further out of control” since the organisation published research last year. “Single-use vapes are a strong contender for being the most environmentally wasteful, damaging and dangerous consumer product ever made,” he said.

The number of young women vaping in the UK has more than tripled in the past year, government figures show.

 

I can confirm this on my litter picks. Packet, instructions, plastic top and battery just thrown down in the street after use.

And youngsters damaging their brains sucking in this poison by the age of thirty.

[Steve Major]

One of our friends vapes and his whole house stinks