Thailand warns against toy-shaped vape

Examples of vaporisers that feature designs of popular cartoon characters. (Photo: Coutesy of Srirach Lapyai)

Bangkok – Thai Academics are warning about a new type of e-cigarette called "toy pods" which look like replicas of popular cartoon characters to target school and university students.

Srirach Lapyai, a project manager at Tobacco Control Research and Knowledge Management Centre (TRC), said e-cigarette businesses have adjusted the appearance of their products to look more like figurines of famous cartoon characters or cute miniatures of toys, food, stationery items, and so forth.

They are the fifth generation of e-cigarettes called "toy pods", Srirach said, adding each one contains up to 5% synthetic nicotine and yields up to 15,000 puffs.

The e-cigarettes in the form of toy pods have been so widely popular that they have spread to primary school students. Many first graders were recently found carrying them, she said.

Srirach explained that the mouthpiece of the toy pods is designed to mimic a cute figurine, making them almost unrecognisable as e-cigarettes.

Dr Vijj Kasemsup, director of the TRC, said businesses that produce new-generation e-cigarettes target younger customers by opening shops and launching promotions on social media that suit their preferences and lifestyles.

According to a recent report, 309 online vendors were found to be illegally selling e-cigarettes through social media channels, including X, Facebook, and Instagram, between January and February.

Nicotine from e-cigarettes can affect children's hearts, brain cells, memories, concentration, and respiratory system and can cause seizures and heart failure, Vijj said, urging the Thai government to continue banning e-cigarette sales and imports as well as proactively enforce regulations against such products.

Thai authorities have recently found 70 e-cigarette shops located within 500-metre radiuses of schools and universities in Bangkok. Legal action against e-cigarette shops has been proposed to develop a safety mechanism.

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