It is all the rage among teenagers. The disposable electronic cigarette, the puff – pronounce puff – is the new star among young French people. Single-use, pre-filled, pre-charged mini e-cigarette releases sweet, candy-like flavors. Available in supermarkets or tobacconists, at a price of 9 euros, it presents risks for consumers and is a real scourge for the environment.
Puff is a hazardous waste for biodiversity. The plastic constituent and the lithium battery it is made of lead to significant pollution. “We already find a lot of them on the beaches. There are no precautions for use vis-à-vis the environment or strict instructions after use,” says Diane Beaumenay-Joannet, head of campaigns against marine litter at the Surfrider Foundation Europe association, who fight for the protection of the ocean and its users.
The plastic, once fragmented and degraded, is swallowed by animals and the heavy metals from the battery contaminate water and soil. “Depending on the size of the cigarette and where it is thrown, the time for it to deteriorate is different. But we remain on an average of ten years, ”adds Diane Beaumenay-Joannet.
The puff is also a real trap for young consumers. Even if the sale of these mini-cigarettes is prohibited to minors, the manufacturers do not hide to carry out aggressive marketing strategies aimed at young audiences on social networks. A paid tactic since the puff is more and more widespread in French colleges and high schools. Some 3% of teens have used it in 2022, according to a survey by the ACT Alliance Against Tobacco.
The French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Tendencies (OFDT) states that the use of puff has tripled between 2017 and 2022. A success which can be explained by brightly colored packaging and attractive flavors close to confectionery. “A particularly devious trap for children and adolescents”, recalls the National Academy of Medicine in a press release in February 2023.
The product is mainly dosed in nicotine, up to 20 mg/ml, which can develop inflammation of the respiratory tract, strong dependence and a gateway to smoking. “When we know that the ban on sales to minors is not respected, with nearly one in ten young people having already purchased this product, the only effective lever is the outright ban on this disposable electronic cigarette”, alert Loïc Josseran, president of the ACT Alliance against tobacco, also a doctor and researcher in public health.
A group of twenty personalities – doctors, tobacco specialist and environmental defender – sent a column to the newspaper Le Monde at the end of April for France, like Germany, Belgium or Ireland, to ban puffs. In November 2022, MP Francesca Pasquini (EELV) tabled a bill to this effect. For Diane Beaumenay-Joannet, “we must raise awareness about this new way of smoking, it’s a new challenge”.
