Illegal e-cigarettes are widely available via online vendors, according to an investigation published yesterday by the Taipei City Government’s Department of Health.
The department’s first probe into e-cigarette availability found 318 different models or related products available online through Facebook, Line or auction sites.
The department said that while e-cigarettes are rarely sold openly in stores, they are sometimes available from night market vendors operating under the cover of selling cigarette lighters and other products. However, because of difficulties in locating such vendors, only two specific cases were mentioned in the report.
E-cigarettes are illegal under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act (藥事法), Department of Health Commissioner Lin Chi-hung (林奇宏) said.
The unlicensed distribution and production of all products containing nicotine is prohibited under the act, he said, adding that marketing nicotine-free products as aids to quit smoking is also illegal.
Lin said that the department has turned over to judicial authorities cases involving five vendors whose addresses were tracked to Taipei.
However, in many others, vendors’ identities and locations could not be determined, said Chiu Hsiu-yi (邱秀移), the director of the department’s food and drug division. Whether the cases can be effectively prosecuted is beyond the department’s prerogative, she added.
While e-cigarettes are often marketed as an aid to stop smoking, there is no solid evidence of their efficacy, National Health Research Institute researcher Wen Chi-bang (溫啟邦) said.
He added that many e-cigarettes contain heavy metals, exposing users to carcinogenic substances when they inhale. In addition, the high concentrations of nicotine used in the devices create a risk of poisoning and make them volatile and liable to explode, he said.
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
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