MSP calls for lab tests for disposable vapes

A Scottish Green MSP has called for lab tests on disposable vapes to be made compulsory.

Gillian Mackay is spearheading a campaign to ban single use vapes, with both the UK and Scottish governments considering their future.

Laboratory tests on the devices, she said, should be made compulsory, ending a system which allows producers to “check their own homework”.

As well as cutting down the harms caused by legal vapes, the idea, the MSP claimed, would also impact on the number of fake devices which are sold.

“The risk to users from unscrupulous suppliers is too great to leave to chance, so we urgently need to get a grip of this ridiculous situation where it is the producers themselves who check their own homework,” she said.

“What I am calling for is a UK-wide scheme where independent, verified labs carry out tests to crack down on harmful chemicals and dodgy construction, which could leave anyone in danger on a number of levels.

“There is nothing like enough real checks being carried out and while a potential ban is being considered, preventative action must be taken now, including a licensing scheme for importers to deal with the issue.”