South Korea's Ministry of health and wellbeing said Wednesday that the government strongly recommended the public to stop using such electronic cigarettes before the test results on the hazards of steam type electronic cigarettes were released, and specially reminded children, teenagers, pregnant women, patients with respiratory diseases and non-smokers not to smoke steam type electronic cigarettes.

On October 15, local time, according to the data of relevant departments in the United States, 1479 cases of lung diseases related to the use of electronic cigarettes were reported, among which at least 33 people died. In South Korea, there was also a case suspected of being affected by smoking electronic cigarettes in late October. From then on, the health department began to detect the harm of e-cigarettes and took the above measures. Pu Linghou, director of the Department of health and welfare, said that recently, there have been frequent cases of lung disease caused by steam type electronic cigarettes in the United States, and there have been suspected cases in China, so it is strongly recommended that consumers stop using steam type electronic cigarettes before the rectification of the safety management system and the end of hazard testing.

In order to strengthen the safety management of steam type electronic cigarette and make the management system have laws to follow, the Ministry of welfare formulated relevant countermeasures. First of all, the definition of cigarette will be expanded from the former tobacco leaf raw material products to tobacco stem, tobacco root and other raw materials products. Tobacco production and importers are obliged to submit a list of ingredients and additives contained in cigarettes and smoke. The sale of aromatics to induce smoking among adolescents and women will also be phased out.

However, the proposed measures to stop smoking electronic cigarettes are not mandatory and can only be implemented consciously by smokers. In this regard, the Ministry of welfare plans to amend the national health promotion law to ensure that relevant departments take measures such as confiscation and prohibition in time when electronic cigarettes have a negative impact on public health. The Department of wellbeing also plans to complete an investigation as soon as possible into whether the harm of e-cigarettes will cause lung diseases.

At the same time, the Ministry of planning and finance and other relevant departments will require manufacturers and importers to submit information on the main components of tetrahydrocannabinol and vitamin E acetate contained in electronic cigarettes in accordance with the basic law on safety and the basic law on consumers. When the content of nicotine is more than 1%, the importer shall submit the import declaration materials of toxic substances, and when importing the products with tobacco stem as the source of nicotine extraction, the importer shall submit the manufacturing license and other materials of the exporting country.
The Ministry of welfare will also actively publicize the harm of steam type e-cigarettes to teenagers through education departments and schools at all levels, and intensify the crackdown on the sale of e-cigarettes to teenagers.