
HSE chiefs in ‘stop using' warning to thousands of Irish vapers over 3 e-cigarette products
AN urgent warning has been issued for thousands of vapers over three e-cigarette products sold in Ireland.
The
3
McKesse MK Bar 7000 has been removed from the shelves for breaking legal regulation
Credit: X @HSELive
3
JNR Crystal Pro Max 5000 contain nicotine at concentrations of 18.0 mg/ml to 19.0 mg/ml
Credit: X @HSELive
3
The Crystal Bling 6000+ puffs has also been removed from the shelves
Credit: X @HSELive
The products contain nicotine at concentrations of 18.0 mg/ml to 19.0 mg/ml following analysis by the State Laboratory.
The alerts have been issued to the
The e-cigarettes involved are the following:
The Crystal Bling 6000+ puffs - Sub-brand (flavour): 5G HRTP Blue Razz Lemonade, Batch No. THE240801
McKesse MK Bar 7000 - Sub-brand (flavour): Passionfruit & Lime
JNR Crystal Pro Max 5000+ puff - 0% nicotine Sub-brands (flavours): Kiwi Watermelon Ice Batch No. C24H8399-CP5000
Read more in Health
The HSE took to
They said: "Our National Environmental
Consumers can return them to the shop where they were bought and retailers have been asked to stop selling them.
Health chiefs also urged to people selling
Most read in Health
They added: "We are calling for much greater vigilance by retailers and importers of e-
Dr Maurice Mulcahy, Regional Chief Environmental Health Officer, HSE said: 'The National Environmental Health Service is regularly finding non-compliant products on the Irish market.
HSE in urgent 'don't regret it later' alert as they warn cough lasting three weeks could by cancer symptom
"These three most recent alerts are for products labelled as containing 'no nicotine' but following laboratory analysis by the State Laboratory we found that they have concentrations as high as 19.0 mg/ml.
"While this may be below the legal permitted limit of 20 mg/ml, it is not what the consumer has been told they contain.
"In addition, these products were found to have 7.7ml to 9.4ml of nicotine-containing liquid, almost 4 to 5 times the permitted volume (2ml)."
'UNSAFE PRODUCTS'
Dr Mulcahy continued: "The HSE National Environmental Health Service, in response to finding non-compliant and unsafe products on the Irish market, will continue to use its legal powers to protect the public up to and including product seizure, product destruction and prosecutions.
'However, retailers play an important role in protecting the consumers of such products from potential harm and should be checking both the products themselves and their suppliers' details before selling them on to
"Otherwise, they may not only be putting the consumer at risk, they may be breaking the law and making it more difficult to trace and seek the recall and withdrawal of dangerous batches of such products."
RECALL NOTICE
And retailers who have sold or distributed any of these products must display a recall notice in their retail premises, website and
Consumers are strongly advised to check their electronic cigarettes to see whether they may have the products involved in these alerts.
If they have any of these products, consumers should stop using them and return them to the shop where they were purchased.
The HSE has contacted distributors and importers of e-cigarettes and refill containers known to the HSE and made them aware of this issue and will be following up as required.
LEGAL OBLIGATIONS
Dr Mulcahy added: 'Retailers need to make themselves fully aware of their legal obligations and put in place robust and effective supplier controls.
"We recommend retailers satisfy themselves that the products they sell are legally compliant and have been duly notified to the HSE via the European Common Entry Gate system (EU CEG).
"Furthermore, if retailers also bring nicotine inhaling products into Ireland from another country that is outside the European Union, such the UK, they may by virtue of this fact also be considered an importer.
"Being an importer places additional legal obligations requiring notification of these imported products to the HSE via the EU CEG and making a declaration on the EU CEG that they are responsible for the safety and quality of these products.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Preventing avoidable baby deaths means having all the information
Ask the HSE what the main risk factors for stillbirths are and it will tell you, but ask how many avoidable baby deaths there have been in maternity units since 2013 and it won't. It does know, but it just won't tell you. While the HSE will accept that 'all elements of healthcare have adverse events', it will always insist every effort is made to learn from these events and reduce the risk of recurrence. But 'every effort' so far does not extend to acceding to calls by maternity reform advocates to publicly announce a review of 50-plus baby death inquests since 2013. The HSE's determination to learn from these tragedies also does not extend to publicly acknowledging any attempt to find out what were the outcomes of all 655 baby deaths and injuries classed as Serious Reportable Events reported to the HSE's National Incident Management System between 2016 and 2023. No matter how many times the HSE or the Department of Health are asked, they insist there is little or no point in reviewing either of these sources of information. Last spring, this reporter was informed by a senior HSE executive that 'we know about all of these deaths' — so perhaps they feel they have all the answers. But if that is the case, why are babies still dying avoidable deaths in Ireland? Perhaps the answer lies in a growing view among women that they are being gaslighted into believing they are among the main reasons for their babies' deaths. On the list of risk factors for stillbirths, for example, the HSE says there are congenital anomalies (birth defects) in babies and things like the age, BMI, and the socioeconomic background of mothers. It will say risk factors centre around lifestyle choices such as drinking, smoking, and taking drugs. But what gets little attention in the panoply of health service information is the elephant in the room of Irish health services, and in particular maternity services; human error. Hardly a few months go by and another anguished mother is sobbing at the steps of either a coroner's court or the High Court as she recounts how what happened to her baby shouldn't have happened. Like so many others since 2013, Lisa Duffy received an apology from the HSE for care failings. She was promised that lessons would be learned. The apology came at her son Luke's inquest in January 2022, which resulted in a verdict of medical misadventure. Luke was stillborn in 2018 at Portlaoise Hospital, after — among other things — midwives failed to spot that Lisa was in labour. Since experiencing Baby Luke's 'needless loss', she has been at the forefront of maternity reform advocacy. Mel and Lisa Duffy holding a framed photo of Baby Luke after he was stillborn. Since experiencing Baby Luke's 'needless loss', Lisa has been at the forefront of maternity reform advocacy. 'You don't realise the extent to which things can go wrong despite you and your baby being perfectly fit and healthy,' she recalls. 'You also just take it for granted that you will be cared for and trained staff will do their jobs properly. 'But bitter experience has shown me and so many other mums and dads that you can take nothing for granted. They will tell you there are lifestyle factors and there are these congenital anomalies but what they won't talk about in any great detail are the mistakes that get made. Women are gaslighted into believing the main reasons are themselves or their babies. 'Yet, as I and so many others have discovered, human error is also a big cause not just of avoidable baby deaths but also birth injuries.' It was Lisa's help with Irish Examiner-initiated research in 2023 that led to the discovery that there have been at least 56 avoidable baby deaths in maternity units in less than a decade. Cardiotocography (CTG) monitoring The research, based on a review of reports of inquests into babies who died between 2013 and 2022, led to calls for a review of avoidable baby death. The research threw up a number of factors common to cases, such as delayed deliveries, a lack of appropriate training and communications failures by staff. The biggest single factor in 28 of the 56 deaths was related to cardiotocography (CTG) monitoring of babies' hearts and the mothers' contractions. On December 21, 2023, the then health minister denied in an RTÉ interview that there was any 'trend' in relation to CTG playing a factor in baby deaths. Stephen Donnelly's response came weeks after the State Claims Agency itself stated, in a review of 'Catastrophic Claims relating to Babies in Maternity Services', that issues around CTG had indeed played a major factor in claims. In its review of 80 catastrophic claims concluded between 2015 and 2019, it noted health staff 'failed to interpret or recognise' abnormal CTG trace results in more than 60% of claims over the five-year period. Rise in baby deaths Research, again by the Irish Examiner, has discovered there have been five times more baby deaths and baby birth-related injuries reported to the HSE in 2023 compared to 2016. The figures, released under Freedom of Information legislation, relate solely to near-term and term babies weighing more than 2,500g or 5.5lbs. In total, there were 655 Serious Reportable Events (SREs) involving babies reported to the HSE between 2016 and 2023. But the agency can't say how many of the 655 baby deaths and birth injuries reported to its National Incident Management System resulted in a negative outcome. This is because they don't collate the information centrally. Instead they say each hospital is left with primary responsibility — 'and accountability' — for the effective management of incidents. Indeed, if you ask them why they can't just ask each hospital what the outcomes were, the HSE will insist that it is not as simple as 'sending around a few emails'. Instead of going back over the SRE reports, the HSE instead launched a new initiative that will take years to complete. This is the confidential inquiry the National Women and Infants Health Programme (NWIHP) launched last year into data about still and newborn baby deaths between 2021 and 2023. Cases to be examined have been identified from existing perinatal death audit data from the National Perinatal Epidemiology Centre (NPEC), based in Cork. When asked why a new process was started instead of studying the outcomes of 655 baby deaths and baby injury related SREs, the message was the same; it's just not that simple. England has a huge problem with preventable deaths, with a parliamentary report in 2021 openly acknowledging thousands of babies die preventable deaths in NHS maternity units every year. Is it not time for the Irish health service to do the same? Or is it just not that simple?


The Irish Sun
9 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
18 names put forward for National Children's Hospital in €4.5k taxpayer spend with bizarre Acorn and Dolphin options
THE Dolphin Children's Hospital was among the names ruled out for the National Children's Hospital. Acorn and Rainbow were also among 18 put forward in a €4,500 consultancy process. 2 Jennifer Carroll MacNeill snubbed the odd suggestions and went for the basic National Children's Hospital Ireland Credit: PA The Irish Sun last week revealed how a 'specialist branding agency' was brought in to help decide the new But the Health Minister, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, snubbed the odd suggestions and went for the basic The consultancy process cost the State €4,500, with a list of 17 other options drawn up in the process. They include the Kernal Children's Read more in News A series of other variations includes names like The Pearl, Silverbridge, The Wellspring, The Grove, Farelight and Rainbow Children's Hospital. The process also threw up some Irish based options including Solas Children's Hospital, Rialto Children's Hospital and the All Ireland Children's Hospital. The Summit, Lumina and the Central Officials said the 'specialist branding agency' was working to a brief of 'engagement and inclusivity, being mindful of history and time and cost effectiveness'. Most read in Irish News An extensive consulting process saw the names put to a number of groups, with young people quizzed going for the National Children's Hospital Ireland, unveiled as the winner last week.# However, in 2023, the Seanad passed a motion across all parties which called for the hospital to be named after Dr Kathleen Lynn — a doctor and activist who was involved in the 1916 Easter Rising. And However, Minister Carroll MacNeill said she went with the National Children's Hospital Ireland as she believed it would make it easier for people trying to get to the facility. But she wants Dr Lynn to be part of the hospital, explaining: 'I would like to name something in the hospital after her. "Whether it's a wing or maybe an education auditorium so that generations of 2 Acorn and Rainbow were also among 18 put forward in a €4,500 consultancy process Credit: PA


Irish Independent
10 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Revealed: Parts of the country at risk of becoming GP blackspots
The analysis for the Department of Health said there may be no family doctors to take up practice when current GPs retire in these areas. It highlights the pressure on GP surgeries particularly in areas where the population has increased and aged including Cavan, Meath, Kildare, Louth, Westmeath and Wicklow. There were 3,262 clinically active GPs in 2022. The practice most at risk of not having a replacement GP are mostly single-handed surgeries with one doctor. These are mostly found in Mayo, west Donegal, Limerick, Tipperary, Wexford, Leitrim and Galway. The report calls for better succession planning and more incentives for GPs in areas under most pressure. It said that capacity constraints can be managed by 2030 through a greater flow of doctors coming from training. At that point 4,000 graduates and doctors recruited from abroad are due to come on stream as over 1,000 doctors are set to retire. 'Intake to the GP training scheme has increased by 86pc since 2015. Accounting for attrition of graduates and the possibly higher productivity of older GPs, by 2030 around 2.2 GP national graduates will have on-boarded relative to each GP who becomes inactive.' Inadequate succession planning for retirement may be a risk to the stable supply of GP services in some areas, with single GP practices making up half of the risk group. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more However, the HSE appears to be effective in identifying and supporting panels at risk. Still, there remain a few locations where vacancies persist – these arise equally between rural areas and non-city urban areas, it said. There is some indication that GPs could be deferring retirement in capacity-constrained areas, said the report. Young GMS contract-holders often set up in areas that neighbour those with capacity constraints. As such, access to a GP may be feasible in many areas that are identified as having low capacity, but may indicate that people living near the boundaries of the geographic areas travel into neighbouring areas for care, it pointed out. Just over one in five GPs are in single-GP practices and a further one in five GPs operate from two-person practices. In areas where single GP practices are common but the population is ageing, general practice nurses and midwives (GPNM) numbers are relatively high, which may be offsetting high service usage. There are strong health service management, health outcome and economic rationales for general practices structured around group practices. Coverage of major schemes such as the modernisation scheme and the under 6 contract is high. However, uptake of contracts related to the maternity and infant scheme, childhood immunisation, and cancer screening are low in these areas suggesting that continuity of supply in terms of GP workforce may affect access to healthcare. Meath and central Cork have relatively low uptake of the GMS contract despite being areas with relatively higher cardholding populations There are areas where average panel size remains high regardless of assumed contract-sharing: in North Donegal, East Mayo, and South Wexford, there are a high amount of public patients and relatively low number of GPs.