The Australian TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration) is alerting consumers to the potential risks of purchasing electronic cigarette liquid. This advice stems from a study which found undisclosed and potentially harmful ingredients in electronic cigarette liquid being sold in Australia, including nicotine and traces of other chemicals, in liquid that claimed to be 'nicotine-free'. Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes, electronic nicotine delivery systems or e-cigs, are devices that turn liquid into mist for inhalation. This is done to simulate the act of cigarette smoking.

Not nicotine-free as claimed

The study, published by the Medical Journal of Australia on January 14, 2019, details how researchers purchased 10 ‘nicotine-free’ electronic cigarette liquids (a variety of brands and flavours) online and over-the-counter from Australian suppliers. Testing of these products found 60 per cent actually contained nicotine. It is illegal to sell liquids which contain nicotine for use in electronic cigarettes. Nicotine is a Schedule 7 Dangerous Poison under the Poisons Standard (with specific exemptions such as for certain nicotine replacement therapies and tobacco when prepared and packed for smoking).

All electronic cigarette liquids tested in the study also contained traces of 2-chlorophenol, a common breakdown product of some insecticides, herbicides and disinfectants, known to irritate human airways and skin. Another substance detected was 2-aminooctanoic acid, which is found in blood, urine, and faeces of mammals and may indicate the contamination of the product during manufacture.

The TGA is reminding consumers that, while these products are sometimes promoted as an option to help people quit smoking, the evidence for electronic cigarettes in smoking cessation is mixed. There are concerns from Europe and the US that significant use of nicotine-containing electronic cigarettes by adolescents can lead to longer-term cigarette smoking. At this time, no electronic cigarettes have been approved in Australia as a therapeutic good for smoking cessation. Since the TGA does not regulate these products, their quality and safety is not known.

Source: TGA

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