In Australia, nothing is going well for the vaping industry! Three e-cigarette companies have been convicted of false claims and misleading statements after claiming their products do not contain dangerous carcinogens. According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, however, it contains formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and acrolein.
PENALTIES FROM 10 000 $ TO 50 000 $ FOR THREE COMPANIES OF E-CIGARETTES
The regulator of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has therefore become the first in the world to take legal action against e-cigarette companies for “false claims and deceptive statements” about carcinogens in their products.
John Gilmour, the federal judge therefore ordered three e-cigarettes businesses online (The Joystick Company Pty Ltd, Social-Lites Pty Ltd et Elusion Australia Ltd) as well as their CEOs and directors to pay penalties for violating consumer rights.
In these proceedings, the court concluded that each of the companies had claimed that their products did not contain carcinogens and toxins when this clearly was not the case. Joystick and Social-Lites were ordered to pay a penalty of $ 50, while the business leaders were ordered to pay $ 000. Elusion was ordered to pay $ 10 and its director $ 000. All three companies accepted the ACCC's statements and agreed to settle the penalty amounts.
FORMALDEHYDE, ACETALDEHYDE, ACROLEIN AND EVEN ACETONE!
According to the case brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), statements on companies' websites have led consumers to believe that with e-cigarettes they would not be exposed to chemicals harmful present in conventional cigarettes. However, independent testing commissioned by ACCC identified the presence of carcinogens and toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and acrolein in products from Joystick, Social-Lites and Elusion, as well as acetone in Social-Lites products.
Le Dr. Becky Freeman, a tobacco control researcher for the University of Sydney's School of Public Health said some consumers believed e-cigarette companies were "small craft enterprises struggling for better healthWhen in reality most of them belong to Big Tobacco.
« Many advertisements for electronic cigarettes have claimed that they are less toxic and therefore less harmful than tobacco She said adding " But I challenge you to find something that is no less toxic than tobacco". According to her " We don't have long-term data on e-cigarettes that prove they have helped people quit smoking or that they are safe."
For Simon Chapman, professor of public health « This Federal Court decision was "extremely significant" " According to him " These are not isolated examples And other complaints about e-cigarette advertising were made to the ACCC.
CHAPMAN: " INSULT FOR SCIENCE TO CLAIM THAT E-CIGARETTES ARE INOFFENSIVE!« 
But Simon Chapman goes even further by stating that he was " insulting to science To claim that e-cigarettes are harmless or safe given the lack of evidence of long-term effects.
« Of course, they do not have the products found in burning tobacco products, as they are vaporized and not burned. But while they may be less harmful, we don't yet know the extent of their potential harm, we just haven't been able to estimate it yet. He says.
The current president of ACCC, Delia Rickard, said businesses, including those that sell online, should ensure that they are providing accurate information to customers on a reasonable basis " This is especially important for products that can harm the health of consumers.“, She declared.
Source : The Guardian
