The Health Promotion Administration (HPA) yesterday said that it would set up 431 e-cigarette collection spots nationwide where people can anonymously dispose of their e-cigarettes from Wednesday next week.
Under the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防制法), the manufacture, importation, sale, supply, display, advertisement, and use of e-cigarettes are prohibited.
HPA Tobacco Control Division head Lo Su-ying (羅素英) said the agency’s proposal to add “possession” to the list of e-cigarette prohibitions was passed by the Executive Yuan on June 25 and has been passed to the legislature for review.
Photo courtesy of the Health Promotion Administration via CNA
Although the dates for legislative review and enactment of the amendment have not yet been determined, if passed, there would be a one-month grace period after it comes into effect, the agency said.
During that time, people caught with e-cigarettes would not be fined, but the device would be confiscated, it said, adding that after the grace period, they would face a fine of between NT$30,000 and NT$100,000, and the device would be confiscated.
The agency has communicated with health agencies about setting up 431 e-cigarette collection bins nationwide, Lo said.
The bins feature a one-way “disposal and no retrieval” design and would be mainly set up at local health departments, health bureaus and public health centers, she said.
They would also be placed at mental health centers, addiction treatment centers, police stations and environmental health bureaus in some cities and counties, she added.
Local health agencies would then work with environmental protection agencies for centralized disposal of the collected e-cigarette devices, Lo said.
The WHO and many international studies have warned that using e-cigarettes might release toxic substances such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, ultrafine particles and heavy metals, the HPA said.
These harmful toxic substances could harm adolescent brain development and significantly increase the risk of anxiety disorders and learning disabilities, it said, adding that some could also damage DNA, and increase the risk of severe lung injury and cancers.
Studies have suggested that adolescents who used e-cigarettes are more likely to try traditional cigarettes, and that the use of traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes could cause even more harm to their health and make quitting more difficult, the HPA said.
The agency urged people to avoid purchasing or using e-cigarettes, and for those who possess such devices to dispose of them at the collection spots, which can be found on the HPA’s Web site.
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