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Irish Examiner
16 hours ago
- Health
- Irish Examiner
The Vapening: ‘In my school, I'd be in the minority for not vaping'
Though small, vapes leave a potent sweet trail behind which can be smelled in schools across the country, despite a ban on sales to children since December 2023, teenagers have told the Irish Examiner. One teen said she is a minority in her fifth-year class as a non-vaper, while another said teachers in her school have to chase vapers out of the bathrooms between classes. A third said some of his classmates started vaping as early as first year of secondary school. Some of the non-compliant vapes that were destroyed at the HSE offices in Naas, Co Kildare. Picture: Gareth Chaney Their experiences of how easy it is for school-children to still buy vapes or tobacco products comes as prosecutions under new laws ramp up led by the HSE National Environmental Health Service. The teenagers are members of the Foróige CRIB Youth & Family Support Project in Sligo. They studied the use of vapes, produced a report, and made a mock documentary, The Vapening. Ruth Bradley, 16, said: 'In my school I'd be more of a minority [for not vaping]. Honestly I don't like the smell.' They are also expensive, Ruth added. A still from 'The Vapening', a film made by teenagers who are members of the Foróige CRIB project in Sligo. You can view the film on ForoigeChannel on Youtube, or see link below. She described a school science experiment where they researched ingredients in cigarettes and e-cigarettes. 'That was an eye-opener for me,' she said. 'One ingredient in some vapes you could use for a disinfectant.' Wiktor Zuzewicz, 16, said he doesn't smoke or vape for health reasons. He said: You can't walk into a school bathroom and not have that smell — tons of people were vaping there. 'It's rare that you actually see the vapes now, people are hiding it more now.' He wants more supports for teens who want to quit, saying: 'Some of my classmates started in first year and they're still going.' Pearlgold Aideyan, 17, said vaping is more common than smoking across her age group. 'Some of my friends try to pressure me [to vape],' she said, adding: 'It's quite hard sometimes.' Disposable vapes in breach of regulations purchased in Waterford City. Picture: Joe Evans Pearlgold is already seeing people in her all-girls school cutting down because there are fewer places to buy vapes now. Girls can be suspended for vaping, she said, and since the teachers 'caught on' and check the toilets, it is becoming less common. Their mockumentary can be viewed here on the @ForoigeChannel on Youtube. They hope their satirical horror-film approach of reporting on vaping as an outbreak of an infectious disease will bring home a stop-vaping message. HSE prosecutions HSE environmental health officers monitor implementation of the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act 2023. They have successfully prosecuted 51 shops and businesses for selling vapes and tobacco products to under-18s last year. This included eight prosecutions specifically for vapes. Some shops were identified during sting operations when the HSE worked with teenage 'mystery shoppers' who tested the ban. Over the last two years, 22 prohibition orders were served for selling vapes with illegal nicotine content. Some 3,371 e-cigarettes and refill containers were removed. Last year, two businesses were successfully prosecuted in district courts and in 2022 so was an online business selling vapes from a private dwelling. Some 19 destruction orders were applied during 2022 and 2023. In 2023 they also seized 37.8 tonnes of illegal vapes or refills at ports and airports working with Customs and Revenue. Last year they seized 26.6 tonnes. HSE Assistant National Director for Environmental Health Ann Marie Part said: 'While the majority of retailers take active measures to confirm the age of someone buying tobacco or vape products, it is disappointing to see some retailers still selling to children. 'All it takes is a request for ID at the counter to ensure you are selling to someone over the legal age.' A display at the HSE offices in Naas, Co Kildare, of non-compliant vapes that are to be destroyed. Picture: Gareth Chaney The Irish Vape Vendors Association (IVVA) made submissions to Government on the age limits. Spokeswoman Joanne O'Connell said: 'IVVA shops have always been for over 18s.' Ms O'Connell, who heads up Vapourpal Ltd with shops across Munster, said this stance is easier to enforce now. 'Before the law came in we might get a bit of push-back because it wasn't the law,' she said. 'But now we just completely refuse, we don't have any problems.' She was reluctant to comment on where teenagers might get vapes, but pointed out they are sold in many sites other than dedicated shops. A former smoker who used vapes as an adult to quit, she is 'not the biggest fan' of Government plans to restrict flavours to tobacco only. 'A lot of people of all ages who use flavoured vapes don't want it to taste like tobacco, they want to get completely away from the smoking aspect of it,' she said. They have not been consulted on this legislation yet, but are open to that, she added. In medical circles, views are less positive towards vaping. Paul Kavanagh chairs the Royal College of Physicians' clinical advisory group on smoking and e-cigarettes. Can vapes help people quit smoking? Dr Kavanagh questioned the common argument that vaping is mainly a quit-smoking aid, arguing that if that were true, then higher vaping rates should mean lower tobacco use. In Ireland, tobacco use stopped declining in 2019 and since then there has been, he said 'unrestricted access' to vapes. 'So at a population level if there's an argument that having more and more people using e-cigarettes helps to reduce smoking prevalence, we have run that experiment here in Ireland,' he said. What that has led to is rapidly increasing e-cigarette use, particularly among children and young people, and at the same time we have not seen any further reduction in smoking prevalence in our population. Another common argument is that vaping is less harmful than smoking tobacco. 'We know that between one and two and two and three people who smoke will die of smoking-related disease. We know that on average people who smoke lose 10 years of life,' he said. 'Smoking is a leading cause of cancer. It causes heart disease, stroke, it causes lung disease. So how could you come up with a product that would be as harmful or more harmful than that? 'So we have to stop and call out this idea that something being not as harmful as smoking is somehow a suggestion the product is safe.' He emphasised that in Ireland this week 'almost 100 people are going to die from smoking-related diseases'. Dr Kavanagh urged e-cigarette manufacturers who believe their product can safely help adults to stop smoking to submit the device for regulatory assessment. The HSE does not recommend vaping in their Quit Smoking programme. Major conference in Dublin Links between vaping and the tobacco industry were a focus at the World Conference on Tobacco Control in Dublin this week. Yolonda Richardson, the president and CEO of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, was one of many Americans attending. 'We are interested in prevention,' she told the Irish Examiner. 'Nicotine is harmful to the developing brain, and so that's why we had no hesitation in moving quickly from the work where we were trying to prevent teens from smoking to preventing teens from vaping. 'We had no hesitation in moving quickly from the work where we were trying to prevent teens from smoking to preventing teens from vaping,' said Yolonda C Richardson of the US Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids at the World Conference on Tobacco Control in Dublin. File picture 'Because there is this misconception pretty much pushed by the tobacco industry and the vaping industry that vaping is better than smoking — and that's just not true for young kids, it really does negatively impact brain development.' She urged people to see vapes as part of a marketing strategy from the tobacco industry to gain new customers. A number of global tobacco companies advertise vaping products on their websites. The scale of the challenge is clear in data supplied by her campaign. Just 34 e-cigarette products and devices including tobacco and menthol flavours are approved in the US by the FDA but they said: 'It has denied marketing applications for millions of flavored e-cigarette products.' A scene from 'The Vapening', made by teenagers who are members of the Foróige CRIB project in Sligo, showing different types of vape. Ms Richardson also welcomed the growing understanding of the health risks. The national youth tobacco survey in American showed a decline in vape use among young Americans from a high of 20% in 2019 to just 5.9% last year. Here, 20% of women aged 15-24 use e-cigarettes either daily or occasionally; the rate for men of the same age group is 16%, the Healthy Ireland survey showed. At this week's conference, health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill re-committed to Ireland's plans to further reduce tobacco and e-cigarette use. Her focus, she said, 'is on helping as many young people as possible to avoid using tobacco and any other product which delivers any nicotine'. The conference also heard discussion of diseases other than cancer linked to smoking or vaping including heart disease and stroke. The Irish Heart Foundation's senior policy manager Mark Murphy echoed these fears. He pointed to a significant study published in the European Heart Journal. This found exposure to e-cigarette vapour causes damage to the heart and blood vessels as well as the brain and lungs. 'If you're a 60-year-old man trying to quit smoking and with vaping you can cut down your smoking, that's great — but we're concerned about the next generation,' he warned. 'You're up against an industry that has endless resources and it's up to health charities and health boards — who have limited budgets — to take it on.'
Irish Examiner
30-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Working Life: 'We're very concerned about the attraction of vapes to young people'
Dr Maurice Mulcahy, regional chief environmental health officer, HSE National Environmental Health Service 'I was born in London after my parents left beautiful West Cork in the 1950s to find work. I moved back to Ireland 30 years ago with my family for a better quality of life. 'My choice of career was prompted by a chance assignment as a clerical assistant to the environmental health service of Camden Council. 'Seeing up close how the service protected and promoted health across a range of environmental health domains — for example, food safety, air quality, housing, pollution — had a big influence on me. 'I've been involved in tobacco control for 20 years-plus. A standout moment was the introduction of the workplace smoking ban. I was in the room in Dublin 22 years ago when Micheál Martin, then minister for health, launched the report on the health effects of environmental tobacco smoke in the workplace. "He then stunned the room and shocked the world by announcing plans for a workplace smoking ban, making Ireland the first country to go 'smoke free'. Dr Maurice Mulcahy, regional chief environmental health officer, HSE National Environmental Health Service at work in Galway city. Picture: Ray Ryan 'My role involves rolling out new legislation and overseeing market surveillance of tobacco and related products across the supply chain, from import to retail level. 'HSE environmental health officers work with businesses nationwide to ensure products comply with the law and, where there is a serious risk to health, issue alerts and take enforcement action. 'We're very concerned about the attraction of vapes to young people and the sale of vapes to U18s. We undertake an annual programme of test purchases, which includes e-cigarettes. Volunteer children, with parental consent, attempt to buy such products to test whether retailers are asking for proof of age. 'The worrying thing, given that tobacco and e-cigarettes/vapes contain highly addictive nicotine, is that we are still finding a high proportion of sales to volunteer children. To date this year, we've prosecuted nine businesses with fines up to €1,000. 'We strongly recommend that those selling e-cigarettes and vapes get details from their supplier of the products' origins and confirm that they are legal. 'It's time to consider what it may mean for our children if sales of vapes go unchecked.' World No Tobacco Day is on Saturday. For further information or to make a complaint about illegal sales of vapes and e-cigarettes, contact
Dublin Live
13-05-2025
- Health
- Dublin Live
HSE issues stark warning over three vapes that falsely claim to be nicotine-free
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info The HSE has issued a warning to vape users over three e-cigarettes that wrongly claim not to contain nicotine. E-cigarette smokers have been urged to stop using the products due to the false labelling. The products, for which European product safety (RAPEX) alerts have been issued, contain nicotine at concentrations of 18.0 mg/ml to 19.0 mg/ml following analysis by the State Laboratory. The implicated products are: 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 (Image: HSE) A notice on the HSE website reads: "People can return them to the shop where they were bought and retailers have been asked to stop selling them. HSE National Environmental Health Service is appealing to people selling e-cigarettes and vapes to ask their supplier where the products they are selling are coming from and are they legal." 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. These 3 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. (Image: HSE) "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). '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." Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice .
Irish Daily Mirror
12-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Daily Mirror
HSE issues urgent warning to Irish vapers about three types of e-cigarette
The HSE has issued a warning to the public over three types of electronic cigarettes that are labelled wrongly as containing 'no nicotine' when they do, in fact, contain nicotine. The HSE National Environmental Health Service (NEHS) is alerting the public to stop using the products, which have also been the subject of European product safety (RAPEX) alerts. The three products for which the warning has been issued, which contain nicotine at concentrations of 18.0 mg/ml to 19.0 mg/ml following analysis by the State Laboratory, are: 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 The public has been advised that they can return the affected products to the shop where they were bought, while retailers have been asked to stop selling them. The NEHS is appealing to people selling e-cigarettes and vapes to ask their supplier where the products they are selling are coming from and if they are legal. It is also calling for much greater vigilance by retailers and importers of e-cigarettes with regard to the safety, quality packaging and labelling of such products in order to protect consumers from potential harm. 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. 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). '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 consumers. 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.' In light of the warnings, consumers have been advised to check the electronic cigarettes they may have against the products involved in these alerts. If they have any of these products, they should stop using them and return them to the shop where they were purchased. If they have used these products and experienced any ill effects, they should contact their General Practitioner for advice and notify the HSE at Retailers, meanwhile, have been issued with the following advice: More information on the products can be found here using the words 'electronic cigarette'.
