Vape Business Ireland welcome State Laboratory testing to confirm that Irish regulated vaping products meet required standards.

Vape Business Ireland welcome State Laboratory testing to confirm that Irish regulated vaping products meet required standards.

Vape Business Ireland (VBI), Ireland’s largest vaping trade association, welcomes the news that on behalf of the HSE the State Laboratory is seeking information to begin testing vaping products to ensure they meet regulation standards. VBI have long been calling for further research in Ireland and believe this is the right step to ensure that policymakers and consumers can be confident that vaping products are of a high regulatory standard.

In relation to the recent cases in the US, while the full details remain unclear, it appears that the incidents are linked to people using illegal fluids, most likely black-market marijuana products (THC oils).  As stated by Martin Dockrell, head of Tobacco Control at Public Health England, EU regulations are much tighter than in the US and no similar cases have been reported in the UK or Ireland. VBI Director Keith Flynn: “All VBI members adhere to our Code of Conduct which ensures all vaping devices and e-liquids are fully compliant with the 2016 Regulations that implemented the European Union Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), which tightly regulates the safety and quality of vaping products, and that products are only sold to those over the age of 18. We urge all vapers to only purchase and use TPD compliant products, not to buy products off the black market or to use liquids or other substances which are not meant for vaping.”

Vaping provides smokers looking to quit with a smoke-free alternative which scientific research has demonstrated to be 95% less harmful than cigarettes. VBI look forward to the results from the State Laboratory which will contribute to the current evidence base on vaping.

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