Latest news with #HSENationalEnvironmentalHealthService
Irish Examiner
30-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Working Life: 'We're very concerned about the attraction of vapes to young people'
Dr Maurice Mulcahy, regional chief environmental health officer, HSE National Environmental Health Service 'I was born in London after my parents left beautiful West Cork in the 1950s to find work. I moved back to Ireland 30 years ago with my family for a better quality of life. 'My choice of career was prompted by a chance assignment as a clerical assistant to the environmental health service of Camden Council. 'Seeing up close how the service protected and promoted health across a range of environmental health domains — for example, food safety, air quality, housing, pollution — had a big influence on me. 'I've been involved in tobacco control for 20 years-plus. A standout moment was the introduction of the workplace smoking ban. I was in the room in Dublin 22 years ago when Micheál Martin, then minister for health, launched the report on the health effects of environmental tobacco smoke in the workplace. "He then stunned the room and shocked the world by announcing plans for a workplace smoking ban, making Ireland the first country to go 'smoke free'. Dr Maurice Mulcahy, regional chief environmental health officer, HSE National Environmental Health Service at work in Galway city. Picture: Ray Ryan 'My role involves rolling out new legislation and overseeing market surveillance of tobacco and related products across the supply chain, from import to retail level. 'HSE environmental health officers work with businesses nationwide to ensure products comply with the law and, where there is a serious risk to health, issue alerts and take enforcement action. 'We're very concerned about the attraction of vapes to young people and the sale of vapes to U18s. We undertake an annual programme of test purchases, which includes e-cigarettes. Volunteer children, with parental consent, attempt to buy such products to test whether retailers are asking for proof of age. 'The worrying thing, given that tobacco and e-cigarettes/vapes contain highly addictive nicotine, is that we are still finding a high proportion of sales to volunteer children. To date this year, we've prosecuted nine businesses with fines up to €1,000. 'We strongly recommend that those selling e-cigarettes and vapes get details from their supplier of the products' origins and confirm that they are legal. 'It's time to consider what it may mean for our children if sales of vapes go unchecked.' World No Tobacco Day is on Saturday. For further information or to make a complaint about illegal sales of vapes and e-cigarettes, contact
Dublin Live
13-05-2025
- Health
- Dublin Live
HSE issues stark warning over three vapes that falsely claim to be nicotine-free
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info The HSE has issued a warning to vape users over three e-cigarettes that wrongly claim not to contain nicotine. E-cigarette smokers have been urged to stop using the products due to the false labelling. The products, for which European product safety (RAPEX) alerts have been issued, contain nicotine at concentrations of 18.0 mg/ml to 19.0 mg/ml following analysis by the State Laboratory. The implicated products are: The Crystal Bling 6000+ puffs - Sub-brand (flavour): 5G HRTP Blue Razz Lemonade, Batch No. THE240801 McKesse MK Bar 7000 - Sub-brand (flavour): Passionfruit & Lime JNR Crystal Pro Max 5000+ puff - 0% nicotine Sub-brands (flavours): Kiwi Watermelon Ice Batch No. C24H8399-CP5000 (Image: HSE) A notice on the HSE website reads: "People can return them to the shop where they were bought and retailers have been asked to stop selling them. HSE National Environmental Health Service is appealing to people selling e-cigarettes and vapes to ask their supplier where the products they are selling are coming from and are they legal." Dr Maurice Mulcahy, Regional Chief Environmental Health Officer, HSE said: 'The National Environmental Health Service is regularly finding non-compliant products on the Irish market. These 3 most recent alerts are for products labelled as containing 'no nicotine' but following laboratory analysis by the State Laboratory we found that they have concentrations as high as 19.0 mg/ml. (Image: HSE) "While this may be below the legal permitted limit of 20 mg/ml, it is not what the consumer has been told they contain. In addition, these products were found to have 7.7ml to 9.4ml of nicotine-containing liquid, almost 4 to 5 times the permitted volume (2ml). 'The HSE National Environmental Health Service, in response to finding non-compliant and unsafe products on the Irish market, will continue to use its legal powers to protect the public up to and including product seizure, product destruction and prosecutions." Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice .
Irish Daily Mirror
12-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Daily Mirror
HSE issues urgent warning to Irish vapers about three types of e-cigarette
The HSE has issued a warning to the public over three types of electronic cigarettes that are labelled wrongly as containing 'no nicotine' when they do, in fact, contain nicotine. The HSE National Environmental Health Service (NEHS) is alerting the public to stop using the products, which have also been the subject of European product safety (RAPEX) alerts. The three products for which the warning has been issued, which contain nicotine at concentrations of 18.0 mg/ml to 19.0 mg/ml following analysis by the State Laboratory, are: The Crystal Bling 6000+ puffs - Sub-brand (flavour): 5G HRTP Blue Razz Lemonade, Batch No. THE240801 McKesse MK Bar 7000 - Sub-brand (flavour): Passionfruit & Lime JNR Crystal Pro Max 5000+ puff - 0% nicotine Sub-brands (flavours): Kiwi Watermelon Ice Batch No. C24H8399-CP5000 The public has been advised that they can return the affected products to the shop where they were bought, while retailers have been asked to stop selling them. The NEHS is appealing to people selling e-cigarettes and vapes to ask their supplier where the products they are selling are coming from and if they are legal. It is also calling for much greater vigilance by retailers and importers of e-cigarettes with regard to the safety, quality packaging and labelling of such products in order to protect consumers from potential harm. Dr Maurice Mulcahy, Regional Chief Environmental Health Officer, HSE said: 'The National Environmental Health Service is regularly finding non-compliant products on the Irish market. These three most recent alerts are for products labelled as containing 'no nicotine' but following laboratory analysis by the State Laboratory, we found that they have concentrations as high as 19.0 mg/ml. "While this may be below the legal permitted limit of 20 mg/ml, it is not what the consumer has been told they contain. In addition, these products were found to have 7.7ml to 9.4ml of nicotine-containing liquid, almost 4 to 5 times the permitted volume (2ml). 'The HSE National Environmental Health Service, in response to finding non-compliant and unsafe products on the Irish market, will continue to use its legal powers to protect the public up to and including product seizure, product destruction and prosecutions. 'However, retailers play an important role in protecting the consumers of such products from potential harm and should be checking both the products themselves and their suppliers' details before selling them on to consumers. Otherwise, they may not only be putting the consumer at risk, they may be breaking the law and making it more difficult to trace and seek the recall and withdrawal of dangerous batches of such products.' In light of the warnings, consumers have been advised to check the electronic cigarettes they may have against the products involved in these alerts. If they have any of these products, they should stop using them and return them to the shop where they were purchased. If they have used these products and experienced any ill effects, they should contact their General Practitioner for advice and notify the HSE at Retailers, meanwhile, have been issued with the following advice: More information on the products can be found here using the words 'electronic cigarette'.
