Altria-commissioned study: 99% of discarded e-cigarettes in New York come from China, half of which are Air Bar products

Altria-commissioned study: 99% of discarded e-cigarettes in New York come from China, half of which are Air Bar products

According to a study commissioned by Altria, the second largest tobacco company in the United States, almost every e-cigarette used by New Yorkers is a flavored e-cigarette illegally imported from China. 99% of these e-cigarettes are imported from China, and 99% of them are disposable flavored e-cigarettes.

 

According to a May 30 report by YahooFinance, according to a study commissioned by Altria, the second largest tobacco company in the United States, almost every e-cigarette used by New Yorkers (and then thrown away) is a flavored e-cigarette illegally imported from China.

 

WSPM, a market intelligence company commissioned by Altria to complete the study, analyzed empty e-cigarette products discarded at 100 different locations in various boroughs of New York City.

 

Between February 1 and March 21 of this year, collectors found 2,000 discarded e-cigarette packages. 99% of these e-cigarettes were imported from China, and 99% were disposable flavored e-cigarettes, which New York banned in 2020 because they are attractive to children and teenagers.

 

Altria spokesman David Sutton said the "most popular" e-cigarette brands with kids have flooded into New York. We strongly support New York's increased enforcement efforts to remove these illegal products from the market. "

 

A spokesperson for New York Governor Kathy Hochul said they "take this issue very seriously," but also pointed out that data from the state Department of Health showed that the number of New York high school students vaping declined from 2018 to 2022.

 

In addition, a spokesperson for New York Mayor Eric Adams said that last weekend, the New York City Sheriff's Office and the New York Police Department "caught a large distributor" who was suspected of selling millions of dollars worth of illegal e-cigarette products.

 

"We are facing an epidemic of e-cigarette and heated tobacco use among young people, and we will not stand idly by and watch manufacturers and wholesalers provide our city with illegal and harmful products that target the most vulnerable New Yorkers - children," the spokesperson wrote in an email to Fortune. "

 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized only 23 tobacco-flavored e-cigarette products and devices, Altria's NJOY e-cigarette among them. However, these FDA-authorized products are extremely unpopular, accounting for only 2.4% of e-cigarette sales in 2023.

 

Altria appears to have been hit. Last year, the company sued 34 domestic and foreign e-cigarette manufacturers, seeking damages for damages caused by "unfair competition" and calling on the FDA to enforce its own regulations.

 

FDA spokespeople would not answer specific questions about enforcement. But they said the agency is taking action "across the supply chain," including manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers. The FDA has issued import alerts to several Chinese tobacco companies, such as Shenzhen iMiracle Technology, which produces popular e-cigarette brands ElfBar, EBCreate and Lost Mary. Import alerts allow FDA field staff to detain certain products without physical inspection.

 

In December, the FDA announced its first seizure of iMiracle products, confiscating and destroying $1,800 worth of iMiracle products. $100 million worth of flavored e-cigarettes. However, the company evaded customs several times by changing the name of ElfBar and imported hundreds of millions of dollars worth of products.

 

Another illegal Chinese e-cigarette "bar" - Air Bar, dominated the New York City study. 50% of the e-cigarettes found in large trash cans were Air Bar products, including flavors such as "Pink Lemonade" and "Blueberry Ice".

 

In response, Quentin Brunel, Air Bar's compliance director, confirmed that the company is headquartered in China, but would not comment on the study.

It is reported that the applicant for Air Bar's 34-tobacco smoking equipment trademark is Shenzhen Niwo Network Technology Co., Ltd., which was established in 2014 and is located in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. Shenzhen Aiqiqi Technology Co., Ltd. holds a 14.59% stake in it.