2Firsts Feature: Nicotine pouch poisoning risk and warning flaws
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2Firsts Feature: Nicotine pouch poisoning risk and warning flaws
Nicotine pouches are rapidly gaining popularity in many countries, but some first-time users experience severe discomfort. Investigations have found that, similar to e-cigarettes, the warnings on nicotine pouch packaging mostly follow the warning style of traditional cigarettes. Are such risk warnings sufficient to avoid consumer use risks, especially for first-time users? To this end, 2Firsts contacted several manufacturer CEOs and industry experts.
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2Firsts Special Report:
Risks of poisoning and warning defects of nicotine pouches
Article | 2Firsts
[2Firsts original] With the rapid popularity of nicotine pouch products around the world, more and more consumers choose it as a substitute for cigarettes or e-cigarettes. According to the data of the World Tobacco Development Report 2023, in 2023, as a tobacco product that has rapidly emerged in recent years, nicotine pouches will continue to maintain rapid growth, with sales increasing by 43.5% year-on-year to 15.51 billion pouches and sales increasing by 61.1% year-on-year to US$7.86 billion. While nicotine pouches are growing rapidly, their potential risks have also been the focus of regulators and researchers.
Cigarettes and e-cigarettes carry nicotine through aerosols and then enter the body through the lungs to produce effects. Nicotine is different, it is absorbed through the oral mucosa. Will different absorption methods create different risks of use?
Recently, 2Firsts compared a number of nicotine pouch products on the market and found that, similar to e-cigarettes, the warnings on nicotine pouch packaging mostly follow the warning style of traditional cigarettes. Is such a risk warning sufficient to avoid consumer use risks, especially for first-time users? 2Firsts contacted a number of industry experts.
Chen Zuxin, a nicotine biological effect research expert at the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, said that if consumers start to feel uncomfortable when using such products, it is very likely that they have overdosed on nicotine, while the body is still absorbing nicotine, and the nicotine concentration will not decrease immediately due to the cessation of oral confinement. Therefore, this kind of acute poisoning situation needs to be vigilant, especially for people who use such products for the first time. Relevant information should be clearly marked on the packaging box, and users should be clearly warned of the risk of acute poisoning.
Shivam Bihani, founder and CEO of Indian nicotine bag brand MYNT, said that in general, all nicotine products or new generation products on the market do not have more detailed warning labels.
"We need to educate consumers more about these products, such as their side effects and other related matters."
Acute poisoning is common among first-time nicotine bag users
At an exhibition in early September, two 2Firsts staff members experienced dizziness, chest tightness, cold sweats, numbness in both hands, and shortness of breath three minutes after trying nicotine bag products for the first time. They returned to normal after several hours of rest.
In fact, it is not an isolated case that people experience physical discomfort or even more serious symptoms after using nicotine bag products for the first time.
On the American social platform Reddit, some netizens said that they felt physically uncomfortable after using nicotine bag products for the first time.
One netizen said that he recently tried a 3mg Zyn nicotine bag and almost vomited because the effect was too strong (It hit me so hard).
Netizens share their first experience. | Source: Reddit
Netizen "Celeste_56" said that he first tried Zyn nicotine bags because he thought they were cool after seeing them on TikTok. He described in detail the symptoms he experienced after trying the nicotine bag for the first time.
"I only put one piece in my mouth, and at first I felt 'wow, it's so uncomfortable', my mouth was itchy, and the taste was very spicy. I'm Mexican, but the spiciness was too much. After about 60 seconds, I started to feel nauseous and dizzy, and after five minutes I couldn't stand the taste and dizziness anymore. After about 10 to 15 minutes, I couldn't stand it anymore, threw away the bag, and jumped directly into bed. That bad feeling lasted about one to two hours."
Netizens described in detail that he was experiencing severe discomfort. | Source: Reddit
Nicotine bag warnings mostly follow the "cigarette standard"
It is understood that countries have implemented different forms of warning standards for cigarettes, mainly in the form of text and pictures to inform consumers of the risks of smoking cigarettes and remind them to quit smoking.
Recently, the two supremes collected a variety of nicotine bag products on the market. After detailed observation, they found that the packaging shapes of these nicotine bag products are similar, all of which are cylindrical biscuit shapes.
Some nicotine pouch products on the market. | Source: 2Firsts
From the front, most nicotine pouch packaging uses the brand logo or iconic design and flavor, and indicates the warning message "This product contains nicotine, which is an addictive chemical", and the nicotine content is clearly marked on the packaging.
From the side, some brands of nicotine pouch packaging only display information such as brand name and nicotine concentration, and a small number of brands of nicotine pouch packaging explain how to use it in the form of pictures or text. In particular, the packaging of an 11mg nicotine pouch from übbs also indicates the strength "Strong", indicating that this 11mg nicotine pouch is a high-strength nicotine product.
übbs side view of a nicotine bag. | Source: 2Firsts
From the bottom, almost all brands of nicotine bags have relevant warnings, but the content of the warnings is different.
Some brands' warnings read:
"This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical." Some brands' warnings read: "Toxic if swallowed. May cause allergic reactions. If you feel uncomfortable, please contact a toxicologist..."
After comparing the packaging of cigarettes and e-cigarettes, it is not difficult to find that the warning language of nicotine bags is similar to that of cigarettes. At the same time, on the packaging of some e-cigarettes, there are large warning areas on the front and back, and the warnings read: "This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical."
Warnings on e-cigarette packaging. | Source: 2Firsts
Experts: Be vigilant about acute nicotine poisoning
Chen Zuxin, a nicotine biological effects research expert at Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, said that as a new type of nicotine product, nicotine bags lack basic understanding of whether they are addictive and other health risks. Especially after becoming popular, the widespread use of a large number of people and the health risks brought to users by long-term use.
Chen Zuxin gave a speech at the Nicotine Bag Forum. | Source: 2Firsts
"Although low-dose nicotine may be safe, high-dose nicotine affects the human body's blood pressure, blood sugar, heart rate and other physiological indicators in addition to the brain center."
Chen Zuxin said that since nicotine is obtained through oral release, the nicotine concentration in the human body is gradually accumulated. If people start to feel uncomfortable when using such products, nicotine is likely to be excessive at this time, and the body is still absorbing nicotine, and the nicotine concentration will not decrease immediately due to the termination of oral release.
"Therefore, this kind of acute poisoning situation needs to be vigilant, especially for people who use such products for the first time."
Chen Zuxin pointed out that different brands, nicotine forms, nicotine doses, fiber cloths and additives may affect the release of nicotine. Therefore, relevant information should be clearly marked on the packaging box, and users should be clearly warned of the risk of acute poisoning. It can be seen that more scientific experiments are still needed to evaluate and study this type of new nicotine product, so as to provide scientific basis for relevant industries and regulatory authorities to formulate relevant standards.
Regarding the warnings on nicotine bag packaging, 2Firsts co-founder and CEO Zhao Tong believes that the risks of traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes mainly come from long-term harm to physical health, so the warnings are mainly based on hazard warnings and smoking cessation reminders. Some countries also use uncomfortable pictures to achieve "consumption inhibition".
However, nicotine bags pose a new risk to consumers - the risk of use. Excessive use poses a threat of acute poisoning to entry-level consumers, so its warnings should also add consumer guidance in this regard. The warnings on the packaging should not only warn of risks, but also more clearly mark the nicotine content of the product, the applicable population, possible discomfort symptoms and risks, etc. In this regard, we should consider partially borrowing the labeling methods of drugs.
Manufacturer: The warnings on nicotine pouches are indeed insufficient, and regulators should clarify the standards
In response to this matter, 2Firsts contacted Shivam Bihani, founder and CEO of MYNT, an Indian nicotine pouch brand.
"I completely agree with you that the labels on nicotine pouches need to have more precise information to the consumer before they use the same."
Shivam Bihani believes that the current warning "This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical." is very necessary for consumers because they need to understand that the product contains nicotine and that nicotine is an addictive chemical. In addition, the label should clearly indicate the nicotine content in each nicotine pouch.
Shivam Bihani pointed out that some brands use dots on the top of the package to indicate the nicotine content in each nicotine pouch, or use words such as "mild", "strong" and "super strong" to indicate the strength of each nicotine pouch.
Shivam Bihani believes that regulators around the world should strictly make a policy that requires all brands to clearly label the correct nicotine content of each nicotine pouch on the top label of each can, in numerical form, such as 3/6/9/12/15/20, etc., whatever the specific value is. If the specific value is not clearly marked on the label, consumers may misinterpret the number of dots representing nicotine strength.
"Since nicotine pouches are relatively new, there is limited data on it in the market. But overall all the nicotine products or next generation products you see in the market, none of them have more detailed warning."
One thing is certain, Shivam Bihani said, consumers need to be more educated about these products, such as their side effects and other related matters.
"One way for doing so is adding the same on products website as it labels would not have enough space to incorporate the same
Shivam Bihani speaks at the 2024 Global Nicotine Pouch Industry Summit. | Source: ANTY
In addition, 2Firsts also contacted Waqas Khan, CEO of the American nicotine brand CLEW.
When talking about the current packaging warnings of nicotine pouches being the same as those of e-cigarettes, and there being no special warnings for first-time users or specific groups, he also agreed with this view (I agree with you).
