Vapes: Environmental Pollution, Health and Safeguarding Concerns

The investigation found that in the UK, under-18-year-olds invade vaping shops and steal vapes, while councils use an undercover approach to check for compliance with regulations by licenced shops.

This investigation also examined the regulations established for the Czech Republic, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso and the scale of regulatory compliance among Nigerian e-cigarette users and sellers.

The findings include that the flavour, colours, and package of single-use vapes appeal to underaged children, rather than a leeway to lure chronic smokers to stop smoking. The United Kingdom has banned disposable vapes, while other countries have not followed suit.

FURTHER DEVELOPMENT AND IMPACT

National private television, BF1 reached out to the team in Burkina Faso seeking more information. Afterwards this information was included in the news broadcast which reached a very wide audience in Burkina Faso.

The Burkina Faso vape association director, Uvape, reached out to the team member, Elza Sandrine Sawadogo in Burkina Faso to clear his organisation name, trying to convince her that she should write another story that "not all vape sellers are professional but he is". She refused and told him that we have no proof to backup his claims. After sometime, this same vape seller director, came and said he has spoken with others vape sellers that they are trying making efforts to get the government to make rules to reorganise the vaping sector, and ensure vapes are not sold to children, so that anyone who wants to buy vapes would have to provide their ID card.

Four days after the publication of the findings, a petition was raised by an NGO in Nigeria, calling for a ban on vapes and other tobacco products as African kids are using them and pushing for stricter rules to protect African kids.

Additionally, one of the prominent African organisations which supports media organisations, GateField Impact, has urged policymakers to stop marketing tobacco and hold the company accountable for targeting African kids, sharing the link for people to sign the petition.