"No Nicotine?"... Large Amounts Detected in Liquid E-Cigarettes

Nicotine Detected in 'Nicotine-Free' Disposable Liquid E-Cigarettes
Pseudo-Nicotine Component Found in Jellyba Shine Muscat
Most Products Lacked Proper Youth Harmful Substance Warning
Consumer Agency Recommends Sales Suspension and Labeling Improvements

Nicotine was detected in large quantities in so-called 'disposable liquid e-cigarettes' that were claimed to contain no harmful substances such as nicotine. Some products also contained pseudo-nicotine components whose safety has not been verified.

Liquid-type electronic cigarette vending machine. Photo by Yonhap News

On the 26th, the Korea Consumer Agency announced the results of an investigation into the nicotine content and labeling practices of 15 disposable liquid e-cigarette products sold online. Most products either claimed to contain no nicotine or did not display nicotine content at all, but the reality was different. Among 12 products labeled as 'nicotine-free,' nicotine was detected in 7, and nicotine was also found in 2 products with no nicotine labeling, ranging from 82 to 158 mg.

Additionally, among the 15 products investigated, one product (Jellyba Shine Muscat) contained 13 mg of 'methyl nicotine,' a pseudo-nicotine component whose safety has not been verified. Methyl nicotine lacks clear safety data regarding acute poisoning and neurostimulation and may adversely affect health. Furthermore, despite no nicotine labeling on this product, 120 mg of nicotine was detected. This amount is comparable to 240 cigarettes, each containing 0.5 mg of nicotine.

Moreover, 14 out of the 15 products investigated either did not display or inadequately displayed the 'youth harmful substance' warning as required by the Enforcement Decree of the Youth Protection Act.

Based on these investigation results, the Korea Consumer Agency recommended that businesses selling products labeled as nicotine-free but containing nicotine or pseudo-nicotine cease sales. They also advised businesses selling products with insufficient 'youth harmful substance' warnings to improve their labeling.

Following requests for inspections of disposable liquid e-cigarettes to relevant authorities, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family plans to inspect youth harmful substance warnings on liquid e-cigarettes. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety intends to review products labeled as nicotine-free.

The Consumer Agency urged caution, stating, "Products labeled as nicotine-free can be confused with 'smoking habit improvement aids,' which are quasi-drugs inhaled in a form similar to cigarettes to help improve smoking habits, so consumers need to be careful."

Meanwhile, disposable liquid e-cigarettes are compact, integrated products where the liquid cartridge and device are inseparable. They have gained popularity among smokers due to reasons such as producing less odor compared to conventional cigarettes and not requiring battery charging.