AN urgent warning has been issued over dangerous “super vapes” after police seized “acutely toxic” products from a property.
Police raided a premises in Boston, Lincolnshire, last month, where they seized R&M Tornado Vapes containing dangerously high levels of nicotine.
The high capacity disposable electronic cigarettes have a capacity of 30,000 puffs and allow for 30ml of liquid in the tank – fifteen times the legal maximum of 2ml.
They also contain “excessive amounts of nicotine- the equivalent of 375 king-sized cigarettes”.
The raid was performed as part of Lincolnshire Police’s Operation Nivada, a campaign to stop illicit tobacco and vape sales.
It came after the European Safety Gate – a rapid alert system for dangerous products – flagged R&M Tornado Vapes as “acutely toxic” and posing a risk to people’s health.
The alert covered a range of R&M Tornado Vape flavours, including:
- Strawberry Watermelon
- Strawberry Raspberry Ice
- Kiwi Passionfruit Guava
- Blueberry Cherry Cranberry
- Strawberry Mango
- Peach Mango Pineapple
- Triple Mango
It read: “The product has an excessive amount of nicotine-containing liquid.
“This could lead to the accidental consumption of a high dose of nicotine.
“Nicotine is acutely toxic and can endanger the user’s safety, notably if the product comes into contact with the skin or is ingested.
“Moreover, the product is insufficiently labelled, as the unit packaging does not include information on the amount of nicotine in the dose, or a complete list of ingredients.”
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Teen told he was coughing up ‘pints’ of blood due to a stomach ulcer caused by kebabs – ‘excessive vaping’ was to blame ” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6368305969112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]Lincolnshire residents were told to be on their guard against the vapes.
Andy Wright, Principal Trading Standards Officer at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “The popularity of disposable vapes show no sign of waning, but residents need to be fully aware of the health hazards that huge capacity super vapes like these pose.
“Worryingly, these products are not adequately labelled, and with their eye-catching branding, often end up in the hands of vulnerable young people.
“Nationally, Trading Standards are aware of these products and will seize them when found, precautions are being taken to stop them entering the country.
“We continue to remain vigilant, and work closely with partners including Lincolnshire Police, to remove these illegal vape and tobacco products from Lincolnshire’s streets and clamp down on the traders who peddle them.”
The warning follows one of the largest seizures of illicit tobacco ever seen in Lincolnshire.
More than 90,000 cigarettes and 300 vapes were captured from stores in Boston, Spalding, and Holbeach, as part of Operation Nivada.
Police and Lincolnshire Council has asked residents to help by reporting instances of illegal tobacco sales or associated criminality.
“Reporting helps to build a better intelligence picture, to better evidence criminal activity, and to proactively disrupt organised criminals,” the council said.
It was revealed last year that more than one million illicit vapes were seized by the Trading Standards Institute – with officers confiscating 1.19million dodgy e-cigarettes from sellers in 2023/24.
Meanwhile, the number of children rushed to hospital due to vaping is on track to reach record highs, figures from December revealed.
E-cigarettes can cause lung damage or pneumonia in heavy users, while too much nicotine may lead to dizziness and vomiting.
Between April and October last, 31 under-18s were admitted to hospital in England with vaping-related illnesses.
The figures put the NHS on track to treat at least 53 by March – more than 2023’s high of 51 young patients in one financial year.
