A POPULAR vape brand sold in Northern Ireland has been pulled from shelves after some bottles were found to contain nicotine levels more than 50 percent higher than the legal limit.
The Chinese manufactured Elf Bar disposable device has become the UK's most popular vaping brand in recent years, but an investigation into a batch found some had nicotine over 50 percent higher than the limit of 2ml, or two percent strength.
Control of vape products falls under the UK's Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 legislation.
The discovery has led to an apology from Elf Bar, which said the affected devices had been "overfilled".
"It appears that e-liquid tank sizes, which are standard in other markets, have been inadvertently fitted to some of our UK products. We wholeheartedly apologise for the inconvenience this has caused," an Elf Bar spokesperson said.
Vaping has been presented by manufacturers as a safer alternative to smoking, but there are concerns over some brands offering flavours and branding that might be attractive to young people.
Supermarket Tesco have said they are temporarily pulling the device from UK sale until the manufacturer investigates the issue.
Northern Ireland vape supplier VaporLinQ, which supplies outlets including B&M, Poundland and Applegreen, said on Monday said it was removing Elf Bar products from its range "with immediate effect", adding it was "disappointed" with the discovery.
The firm's managing director Stephen Ryan said: "We purchase third party products on the basis they are manufactured in line with our own high standards, and this is clearly not the case with Elf Bar products at this moment.
"Ensuring the safety of customers remains an utmost priority for our company."
