Jude Ball: Otago University Senior Research Fellow on the number of mislabelled vape products

Researchers say the Vape industry and regulators needs to show they're taking consumer safety seriously. 

A study in today's Medical Journal shows more than half of vape juices have incorrectly labelled how much nicotine they contain. 

Most of the mislabelled products had significantly less nicotine than advertised – some by over 50%. 

Otago University Senior Research Fellow Jude Ball told Mike Hosking this is suggestive of widespread issues in manufacturing quality.  

She says New Zealand has strong regulations about what can and can't be in vape products, so the fact nicotine levels are way off raises concerns.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This mess and vaping studying the Medical Journal shows nearly
sixty percent of the bape juices incorrectly label the amount
of nicotine, not the way you would have thought, because
the majority have significantly less nicotine than advertised. Senior research
fellow at the University of a Tigo study author Dude
bulls with us on this Dude morning, good morning, sort
of good and ironic way or not really, not really.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
I mean, consumers need to know that what's in the
box is what it sees on the label. So both
under and over reporting of nicotine a problemat.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
Yeah, I get that part. But if you're not sucking
in as much a nicotine, then you're not going to
be as addicted. Or does it not work that way?

Speaker 2 (00:35):
Well, people who are using vapes to try and quit smoking,
if the nicotine is too low, then it's not going
to satisfy their craving. They do it more, They could
do it more, or they could just go back to smoking,
which is not a good result.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
The labeling. Is this deliberate or is the whole industry
shonky airs?

Speaker 2 (00:53):
Good question. We don't know the reasons for this mislabeling problem,
but it is suggestive of what i'd spread issues with
manufacturing quality. You know, New Zealand has detailed regulations about
what can and can't be in vap products. For example,
there's upper limits about how much arthnic formaldehyde, lead, other

(01:13):
heavy metals are allowed in bates. So the fact that
the nicteine levels are way off it does raise concerns.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
Does anyone check the stuff?

Speaker 2 (01:23):
Yes, so this is where these results have come from.
They are ESR testing results which have been done under
contract from the Ministry of.

Speaker 1 (01:32):
And having discovered this, do they do anything about it?

Speaker 2 (01:36):
Great question? So I think both the vape industry and
the regulator need to show that they're taking consumer safety
seriously and there needs to be better communication about these
results and what's happening to try and fix the situation.

Speaker 1 (01:50):
All right, next time I get the Minister of Health on,
we'll ask about that. Jude, appreciate it, doctor Juball, who's
the Senior Research Fellow at the Otiga University. For more
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