Nicotine and a new nicotine-like compound were found in many liquid inhalation products sold online as "no nicotine." The government moved to crack down and improve rules after also confirming products containing synthetic chemicals whose safety has not been verified.
The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety said on the 25th that it collected 105 liquid inhalation products currently sold in the online market emphasizing no nicotine and analyzed their ingredients, finding nicotine, a tobacco ingredient, in 13 products. Another 12 products contained "6-methylnicotine," a type of nicotine analog.
6-methylnicotine is a new synthetic chemical and an unverified substance whose harmful effects have not been sufficiently evaluated in Korea or abroad. It is known that continuous exposure could negatively affect health, including the risk of lung disease.
According to the Korea Customs Service, from October last year to May this year, imports cleared through customs of nicotine analogs totaled about 15 tons (t). Of that, 13 tons were imported this year alone, indicating a rapid increase in the domestic inflow of related substances.
The government began taking action against businesses that distributed products in which harmful ingredients were detected. The Ministry of Economy and Finance will immediately request an investigation into products that actually contain nicotine and plans to respond after checking for violations of the Tobacco Business Act.
Under current law, products containing nicotine are classified as "tobacco." A business that sells such products without permission for tobacco import and sales can face up to six months in prison or a fine of up to 5 million won.
The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety recommended that businesses handling products in which nicotine analogs were detected stop sales. It also asked online platforms such as Coupang and Naver to cooperate in blocking sales of the products.
The Ministry of Education will also begin education targeting teenagers. Schools will teach students that liquid inhalation products labeled as no nicotine can be harmful to health just like tobacco, and will inform parents through letters to homes.
The government also put in place an institutional mechanism to block the domestic inflow of similar variant substances. Starting on the 15th, it mandated submission of material safety data sheets (MSDS) stating the hazards of chemicals when reporting imports of related products. It also revised related rules to require that the presence of nicotine analogs be stated.
The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety plans to complete its harmfulness assessment of 6-methylnicotine within this year. It is also conducting research to prepare for the possibility that other nicotine analogs will newly emerge.
The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety said, "We will continue to monitor whether liquid inhalation products contain nicotine analogs in cooperation with related ministries such as the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Health and Welfare," and added, "Based on the results of harmfulness assessments, we plan to review measures to regulate and manage nicotine analogs."