A Closer Look at the Elf Bar 600 Disposable Vape Issue

The news claims that Elf Bars were found to have higher nicotine levels than legal

16 February 2023 | Hannah Rubery

Recently, there has been a lot of buzz around the Elf Bar 600 disposable vape kits and the UK's legal requirements for E-Liquid. Reports across various media outlets suggest that these products were found to contain higher nicotine levels than legally allowed, raising safety concerns.

While it is true that some devices may not have complied with all relevant regulations, it is important to take a closer look at what's happening with the Elf Bar 600 disposable vape kits and understand why this controversy exists in the first place. And why it’s important to understand the difference between nicotine levels, strength and E-Liquid volume.

UK Legal Requirements for E-Liquid

In the UK, the legal requirements for E-Liquid are set out in the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD). According to these standards, E-Liquids must not exceed 20mg/ml (2%) of nicotine. Furthermore, the tank size for vape kits including disposables containing nicotine is capped at 2ml.

Despite these regulations, there have been reports of some disposable vape kits not meeting all legal requirements. This is what has caused the controversy surrounding Elf Bar 600 disposable vapes in particular. The media outlets have raised safety concerns about these devices after an investigation arranged by the Daily Mail.

Thus, it is important to understand what caused concerns to be raised. Only then can we better assess the situation and make informed decisions about these products.

Understanding the details of the disposable vape controversy

The concerns about Elf Bar 600 disposable vapes have been caused by reports from the Daily Mail that these products contain higher nicotine levels than legally allowed in the legal UK. This has led to questions about the safety of these devices and if they are actually in compliance with the UK's regulations.

Various media outlets have reported on this issue, citing potential health risks associated with using disposable vapes containing too much nicotine. From the reports, it has shown that there was a clear violation of including more E-Liquid than legally permitted, but does that mean that they exceeded nicotine level? At the time, it has been believed to be limited to several products having been incorrectly fitted with a non-UK 3ml tank.

Recently, Elf Bar have come forward regarding these claims and in a public notice made after talks with the UKVIA. It was noted that although their E-Liquid capacity had exceeded the maximum allowance, there was no evidence of increased nicotine.

Elf Bar’s statement mentioned; ‘Subsequent to these allegations, we immediately initiated a full investigation of the Elf Bar 600 in the U.K. market and have found that some products exceeded the permitted E-Liquid fill level. Although this issue means the products are not compliant in full with U.K. regulations, we did not find any issues with nicotine strength or anything that might mean the products’ safety is compromised in any way.’

Elf Bar is currently in talks with relevant bodies to pull their products from shelves and will continue to investigate the matter.

The difference between nicotine limit, strength and volume

It is important to note the difference between nicotine limit, strength and E-Liquid volume, as this has been a point of confusion in the issue surrounding Elf Bar 600 disposable vapes.

The legal UK allowance for E-Liquid is set at 20mg/ml (2%) of nicotine, meaning that E-Liquid cannot contain more than this amount of nicotine per ml. To decipher how much nicotine is in your E-Liquid or disposable device you can do a simple bit of maths to figure it out.

Elf Bars are noted to contain 20mg/ml of nicotine, this means that per ml, there is 20mg of nicotine. In a 2ml device, that means there is a total of 40mg of nicotine. Now in the larger 3ml tank that was found to be in some Elf Bar devices, this would mean that each device contained 60mg of nicotine.

Although this means there’s an increase in total nicotine amount due to the higher volume of E-Liquid, the strength remains unchanged – there is still 20mg per ml or 2% nicotine level. You’re essentially getting a disposable that could last longer – if the battery lasts for the amount of E-Liquid contained. Which, in the UK, is illegal due to the cap in tank sizes that is set at 2ml. Some other countries have higher tank capacities legally allowed which is why some devices may be legal outside of the UK and EU.

While it was reported that the Elf Bars had an increased tank capacity (cited as finding the devices to include 3-3.2ml of E-Liquid), Elf Bar indicated that there was no increase in actual nicotine strength.

Final thoughts on PG

To conclude, the reports about Elf Bar 600 disposable vapes containing more than the legal UK allowance for E-Liquid has caused a stir in the media.

It's important to understand that while some disposable vape kits may not be in compliance with UK regulations, deeming them unsafe, research is important to ensure you are able to make an informed decision. There are differences between nicotine limit and E-Liquid volume even though they may sound the same. The UK and many parts of the world are currently experiencing an influx of illegal disposable devices that often have higher nicotine strengths and E-Liquid capacity of puff count.

For more information on how to spot illegal and illicit vapes, check out this article for more information. Another point of contention with disposable devices is the wastage associated with these single-use devices. If you use disposable vapes make sure you read how to properly dispose of your disposables to do your part.

Thank you for reading! Stay safe and vape responsibly!