Trading Standards are urging users of e-cigarettes to take extra care following a rise in safety concerns.
(Media-Newswire.com) - Trading Standards are urging users of e-cigarettes to take extra care following a rise in safety concerns.
Leicestershire County Council officers are issuing safety advice following a regional increase in complaints of e-cigarette batteries and chargers exploding or overheating whilst in use.
More than 70 per cent of complaints about e-cigarettes in the East Midlands have been about safety issues. County officers bought five samples to test last year and two failed due to issues with the chargers, such as access to live parts, European plugs supplied rather than British plugs and bad construction quality. As a result, officers are taking part in a regional safety campaign which involves sending letters to retailers setting out their responsibilities, providing them with a safety advice poster to display to consumers and issuing advice to users. County council cabinet member for Trading Standards, Joe Orson, said: “E-cigarettes may be popular, but please don’t put you and your family’s safety at risk. “There have been reports of fires in homes and cars and injuries related to e-cigarettes exploding and we want both consumers and retailers to be vigilant to prevent further accidents occurring.” Dave Bull, head of Leicestershire County Council’s Trading Standards Service, added: “We did receive a report last year of a man who told us his bedroom caught fire after his e-cigarette battery exploded, which was obviously of great concern. We will continue to enforce the safety laws that apply to these products. “We know that the use of e-cigarettes is on the increase and want to warn residents to be aware of the potential dangers particularly when charging them.” Advice on avoiding the dangers includes: - Only use the charger supplied with the e-cigarette - Follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer carefully – battery capacities and charging voltages vary according to manufacturer so it is important to check you are using the correct charger. - Heed any warnings supplied with the product - Do not leave e-cigarettes plugged in overnight or unattended - Look for the CE mark that indicates the charger complies with European Safety standards More advice is available by logging on to www.leics.gov.uk/tradingstandards If you have purchased a product that you have concerns about please let Trading Standards know by contacting the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 04 05 06. If you would like help to quit smoking, you can seek advice from your local Stop Smoking Service. To get in touch, call 0116 295 4141. ENDS Notes to editors: • Trading Standards services across the East Midlands region are undertaking an e-cigarette safety campaign which includes sending letters to retailers setting out their responsibilities and providing them with a safety advice poster to display to consumers. Advice leaflets will also be available for consumers. • E-cigarette incidents in the region include a fire and death in a care home in Derbyshire, a car fire in Leicester, and a student flat fire in Nottingham. • E-cigarettes generally use a lithium battery as a power source. Some of these batteries have been manufactured without cut off devices that prevent over charging. When used with an incompatible charger or a charger that also does not have a safety cut off, this can result in devices over-heating, exploding or catching fire.
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