Esma approves new nicotine standards for e-cigarettes

New standards have been approved for the nicotine components of electronic cigarettes in the UAE, according to the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (Esma).

The new Esma standards were set in line with the government's efforts to curb smoking and combat all its side effects and put a stop to the illegal sale of e-cigarettes in the UAE.

The authority urged all dealers and manufacturers to abide by the standards and obtain a certificate prior to the distribution of the products.

Abdullah Al Mu'aini, director-general of Esma, said in a statement that the authority is working to develop other regulations in order to achieve the targets set in National Agenda 2021.

He said the new standards were aligned with the best international practices and had been based on the World Health Organisation's (WHO) framework convention on tobacco control.

Encompassing all nicotine components used in e-cigarettes, the standards provide details on the acceptable technical specifications, weight and list of ingredients, among others.

Al Mu'aini said the development of new tools for e-cigarettes is under way, noting that there are 464 types of this smoking device listed by the WHO. - Wam