CERTAIN VAPES LABELLED as ‘nicotine free’ for sale in shops across the country did in fact contain nicotine following HSE inspections and testing.

Not only does this mislead people who buy the vapes, there is also a risk of getting hooked on vapes without realising, according to health experts.

The vapes were seized by the HSE’s National Tobacco Control Office and tested in the state laboratory.

Three types of vapes claiming to be ‘nicotine free’ were found in three shops visited by the HSE since 2024 – the McKesse MK Bar, JNR Crystal Pro Max and Crystal Bling 6000.

They were seized at the time of inspection, and in June this year, a RAPEX alert was issued for the McKesse MK Bar.

This is the EU’s rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products and orders all retailers to stop selling the product.

A JNR Crystal Pro Max was labelled as ‘0% nicotine’, but when “this sticker was removed it revealed that the original label on the packaging stated ‘2% nicotine’”, the HSE prohibition order stated.

It is not clear who put the sticker on the vape, but the HSE’s letter described it as “very concerning” that customers were being misled.

Some variants of the Crystal Bling 6000 also had “no nicotine” printed on the box, but then said it contained nicotine on the wrapper inside. Lab testing confirmed the vape contained nicotine.

But do these vapes really pose a health risk?

Professor Donal O’Shea, head of the Department of Chemistry at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), told The Journal Investigates that nicotine addiction is still greatly underestimated by the general public.

“It’s not a problem until you try to stop,” he said.

Nicotine is highly addictive, and like any drug, you begin to build a tolerance to it over time, requiring more and more intake to satisfy the need it creates.

It’s also known to cause memory and concentration issues as well as impact how the brain develops, O’Shea said, which is why the popularity of vaping among young people is a concern.

Professor Donal O'Shea said that more needs to be done to regulate vapes. Donal O'Shea Donal O'Shea

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Government has ‘completely dropped the ball’

It’s not the only health concern though.

Thousands of vapes have been seized by Irish health authorities in the last 18 months for breaching regulations.

These were most commonly found to contain more than the legal limit of e-liquid, though the strength of nicotine in some vapes was also significantly higher than allowed.

Using vapes that have more e-liquid or a stronger concentration of nicotine than is legally allowed can also speed up a nicotine addiction.

O’Shea said that vapes are also full of different chemicals, in different quantities and concentrations, the impact of which is largely unknown.

“When you’re 20 years of age, you are most certainly invincible. But unfortunately, when you get to your 40s and so on, the impact starts appearing,” O’Shea said. “We know this from smoking, we know this from pollution.”

And with vapes, he continues, “you have concentrated pollution in a little device that you’re inhaling directly into your lungs.”

You don’t need to be a doctor to know it won’t end well.

O’Shea said that the only solution is more regulation, but feels the government has “completely dropped the ball on this one”, saying we were too slow in restricting the sale of vapes to under 18s.

While banning disposable vapes, as the government has promised to do, might prevent young children from taking up vaping, O’Shea believes “we have to get much more radical if we’re going to come to terms with this.”

“There is no other drug that can be sold this way. You can’t sell aspirin this way, so how can you sell nicotine this way,” he continues.

“You can make it as complicated as you like, but it really is as simple as that.”

The Journal Investigates

Reporter: Conor O’Carroll • Editor: Maria Delaney • Social Media: Cliodhna Travers • Main Image Design: Lorcan O’Reilly