I've reserved this page for items of consumer interest which I think are important and need action. These will normally also be covered in my blog column...

15/5/24: If you're a regular eBay seller, or are considering using their platform to advertise clothes free of charge, think again.... Fraudsters have cottoned on to the fact that eBay's returns system is heavily biased in favour of buyers, and are catching out bona fide sellers by submitting fraudulent return requests, which are then approved automatically by eBay's AI-based system. See my recent blog for the low-down on this scam, and some hints on how to avoid being caught out.

5/3/24: How likely is it that my email will be hacked ? More likely than you might think. Get the gen on the statistics and find out about some simple steps you can take to stop it happening to you on our new Security page.

4/2/24: Get your finances in order for 2024 - new monthly accounts tracker now available to download. Configured for Jan 2024-Dec 2028. Runs under MS Excel (2010 onwards). Includes Current Account data processor, plotter with period totals and a simple tax calculator.  

3/12/23: Are Our Food Banks Too Exclusive ?

There is little doubt that more and more of us are struggling to keep ourselves and our families fed at present.

This unhappy situation has arisen because of a ‘perfect storm’ of adverse circumstances and events that have hit us all over the past couple of years, and which shows little sign of abating. 

The pandemic is widely seen as the principal source of our recent decline in fortunes, but in reality our population demographics, Brexit, the Ukraine war, prolonged mistaken monetary policies and a decade of austerity introduced by the coalition government after the 2008 financial crisis, have all contributed.

Food banks have been a lifeline for some of the least fortunate in society for many years. 

Until relatively recently, however, the numbers really needing to use them were relatively small. Over the past year, however, the added financial pressure of sudden-onset and rampant inflation, and the rush by B of E  to raise interest rates in a vain attempt to restrain it, have pushed many more into relative poverty.

We are technically still in the top tier of the world’s richest economies, but the fact that we have allowed many jobs in our so-called ‘gig economy’ to continue to be poorly paid and often subject to zero hours contracts has kept a large segment of our working population in relative poverty and unable to make ends meet in today's inflationary environment. 

Our lamentable UK state pension provision has also left those pensioners unlucky enough to be wholly dependent on its provision really struggling. The much-trumpeted 'triple lock', despite appearing to be 'a fair deal for pensioners',  still leaves the UK state pension as one of the least generous in Western Europe and has actively promoted poverty in the pensioner population. Given the lack of any prospect for those wholly dependent on the state pension to increase their earnings in other ways, their prospects for a happy and well-earned retirement are not good. This situation is likely to get worse over the coming years, since many workers are no longer able to afford contributions to additional pensions, so the proportion retiring solely dependent on state provision will inevitably increase.

Food price increases, and in particular the rapid rate at which they have occurred, seems to have been one of the worst effects for the more impoverished groups in society to deal with. Recent revelations that profiteering by the retailers, and in particular their major suppliers, has actually proven to be widespread; this has added to the consumer’s burden unnecessarily in order to secure profit margins, and has, quite rightly, enraged many, and may yet contribute to unseating the current government.

All this has driven many families, who would otherwise not have needed help, to make major economies with their food shopping, sometimes going without food altogether to ensure they can afford to heat their homes and feed their children adequately.

Until relatively recently, some supermarkets did provide some welcome assistance in the form of radical price markdowns at the end of each day for produce reaching its sell-by date. This has all but dried up recently, with the supermarkets preferring to keep prices high 'come what may' in the hope of bolstering their profit margins; they are apparently quite happy to send whatever is left unsold at the end of each day to landfill with all the adverse environmental consequences that involves (see recent blog).

Is any assistance available ?

For those on certain prescribed state benefits, the answer to this question is a qualified 'yes'.

As already indicated, our foodbanks are in high demand and have gone from strength to strength in recent years in response to the various economic crises. It has to be said that they do a valuable job, largely via the efforts of their volunteers, and without them the very worst off among us would be at risk of destitution. 

As a concession to public dissatisfaction with their policies, supermarkets have also increasingly begun to ‘play ball’ of late by diverting surplus stock to these organisations before it reaches its sell-by date. (It should be noted that according to current UK law it is illegal to sell or give away anything after it reaches its sell-by date, although anecdotal evidence suggests this rule is sometimes ‘bent’ a little by store managers to allow next day collections by food banks and other recycling organisations). Thus food banks continue to fulfil a vital role in keeping those who qualify afloat.

For the rest of us, however, there is a problem. Traditionally, food banks have been strictly means-tested, such that anyone not on certain qualifying state benefits such as Universal Credit or Pension Credit is not eligible for support. Often a direct referral from an official agency and references are also required for enrolment in a local food bank scheme.

In ‘normal’ circumstances, this might be considered reasonable. 

However we are certainly not in normal circumstances, and we may never actually return to them, given the increasing population pressure and demographic & political changes yet to come. Arguably then it’s now time for a re-think on eligibility.

What should be done ?

 In my view, food banks have evolved to be too exclusive.

We, and they, should recognise that a much larger proportion of the population now need their support. Many who are not eligible for qualifying state benefits are nevertheless genuinely struggling to feed themselves and their families, and are now effectively ‘falling through the exclusivity net’.

Since the majority of food banks are run by charities, they are not subject to public sector financial rules or constraints, and so could open their doors to anyone who presents themselves as being in need of support. 

Some more enlightened institutions dedicated to recycling, rather than 'food relief' per se, are already doing this, but these are still relatively few and far between. The best example of a non-means tested food recycling offering is the Community Fridge (CF) network which is growing in popularity and is so far the only option for those in need who do not qualify for food bank enrolment. The CF network is coordinated nationally by the Hubbub recycling organisation.

Government could also provide an additional incentive for food banks to expand their role by allocating extra grant funding for those charities prepared to embrace a more inclusive regime. This could be done without increasing total government spend by adopting a 'carrot and stick' approach. Many charities are struggling financially due to the reduced levels of spending power consequent on the cost-of-living crisis and a drop-off in donations, so would probably welcome more financial help just now. Any who steadfastly refused to be less restrictive, for whatever reason, could be subject to sanctions, and could ultimately have their charitable status revoked.....

I have heard comments that if eligibility were widened, this would ‘open the floodgates’ and simply overwhelm the food banks, as well as giving rise to widespread abuse and hoarding. Somehow, I doubt this would actually happen. The food bank ‘network’ is expanding continuously in response to demand, and the charities running them will always have the option to refuse support to anyone obviously abusing the system. Large numbers of these organisations have sprung up recently, so I doubt whether demand would outstrip supply. Most potential new users would I'm sure be grateful for any additional help they could get help, and would accept the need to leave enough for others. 

The fact that an additional ‘safety net’ was available to them would, in time, alleviate some of the worry currently driving families to do without, and supply would continue to increase to meet any increase in demand. Government would also gain credit by recognising the pivotal role these organisations play in supporting the least well-off, as more and more people need support in response to yet more price increases and the effects of continued austerity and low pay.

By continuing to insist on state means-tested benefits as the only criterion for eligibility, food banks are already discriminating against others in acute need of support in a worsening economic climate.

Is this really fair, and is it consistent with the ethical principles under which the charities operate ?

I’ll leave that question for the reader (and the charities!) to answer for themselves….

First published via https://vivweb01.blogspot.com 26.7.23. See selection of other articles on Blogspot page 

15.8.23: A Which ? report has recommended that UK supermarkets stock budget price 'Essentials' ranges in all their stores to prevent local overpricing. 

This has been a long time coming - Jack Monroe's efforts in early 2022 did manage to shame ASDA into stocking a full range of its 'Smartprice' range in its smaller stores, but few of the other major UK supermarket chains did so at the time, or have done since. 

The key issue here is that food prices have effectively doubled over the past year, leaving many really struggling with their food bills. 

Many of the smaller stores run by the major supermarket chains stock few if any of their budget range items. There's a 'good' business reason for this from their point of view, as these items are regarded as loss-leaders and make the parent organisation little if any profit. This unfortunately means significantly higher bills for anyone who can't make it to a bigger supermarket for their weekly shop. Those affected are often pensioners or those of working age who can't afford a car, and may have limited mobility themselves. The policy therefore discriminates unfairly against the poorest in society.

Full stocking of budget ranges should now be made mandatory - the chains have had plenty of time to put their houses in order since the start of the crisis. To prevent waste and force the supermarkets to reinstate end-of-day reductions, we should also ban disposal of unsold food via landfill or incineration; this measure has been law in France since 2016, and is steadily being adopted by many other EU countries. If we genuinely wish to be seen as 'champions' of environmental sustainability in Europe, we need to do the same - and soon.

As a society we can no longer tolerate the 'profligacy in the name of profit' which is the root cause of the problem.

Let's hope the Which ? report finally spurs government into action - don't hold your breath, though.....

See this link for more details

19.4.23: ASDA Have Abolished End-of-Day Price Reductions in All Their Stores

ASDA recently joined the other majors and the discounters in reducing the price of milk and there has been much hype in the media about this. 

However what has not yet been extensively reported is an important policy change on price reductions which, I suspect, they were hoping to introduce ‘by stealth’ while consumer focus was diverted elsewhere. 

This move will have a far greater effect on the prices we pay than a few pence off the price of a ‘pinta’ – read on to see why…

I recently revised an article which was first published last autumn on supermarket food. This was a time when the cost-of-living Crisis was beginning to hit us all hard. The article was primarily aimed at highlighting food waste and what we could do to reduce it, thereby saving ourselves money.

What emerged at the time was that many people were already finding it necessary to use food banks to feed their families adequately, and those that were either not entitled to use them, or were simply too proud to admit their need publicly, were going without. It seemed to me that in a 1st world country which still boasts the 6th largest economy in the world, something was badly wrong, and urgent action was needed.

Looking at the amount of perfectly good food that is wasted by supermarkets because it is just past its 'sell-by' date, it seemed opportune to look at how these businesses could help their communities by disposing of some of it more effectively before it actually reached its expiry date and became unsaleable. There is a strong economic and environmental case for doing this, and it actually saves the supermarket money.

Another question I considered in a separate blog was whether supermarkets were playing fair with their budget ranges, which were originally designed as cost-cutting loss-leaders to encourage shoppers into their stores, but are now seen by some as a liability to be phased out.

The conclusions I came to at the time were not encouraging.

On food wastage, although most supermarkets do reduce fresh food items on their sell-by dates, this is not universal, and the reductions rarely exceed 35-40% of the full price, even late in the day on their sell-by date. Given the sky-high (and still rocketing !) food prices we are now faced with, thanks largely to Brexit and Putin’s Ukraine ‘adventure’, even these reductions leave the items unaffordable for some.

In fairness, I should mention some retailers (including ASDA) have in the past implemented policies that allow greater discretionary reductions at the end of each day to ‘clear the shelves’.  A sizeable number of customers have come to depend on this ‘largesse’ in recent months just to make ends meet.

Sadly, in ASDA’s case this practice looks as though it may have come to an abrupt end in April....

When visiting my own local ASDA branch one Wednesday towards the end of April, I noticed that the usual final markdowns had not been made. I was told by staff “..sorry, but the system isn’t allowing us to do the usual markdowns today…”. It was obvious that none of the staff had been informed as to why this was happening, and it was put down to one of the many system ‘glitches’ they had experienced recently. A follow-up visit on the Thursday revealed that the reason for the system blockage that had emerged was that ASDA management had decided to ban final markdowns with immediate effect.

The reason given for this decision (and the ensuing chaos) was ‘…fewer items are being left at the end of the day nowadays’. This decision also appears to have been unilateral and made without consultation with consumer groups, or even their own staff. To cap it all, ASDA central office had not even bothered to cascade this information down to the ‘shop floor’ – as late as the following Sunday, staff responsible for final markdowns in our local store were still unaware of the change, and actually had to be briefed by their customers as to what had happened.

The rather lame and unconvincing ‘excuse’ given for this move is in itself is manifestly untrue – on previous occasions when system failures have prevented final price reductions that day, much more produce was left unsold on the shelves at closing time, and this was confirmed by store assistants the following day. Even when final reductions were permitted, it was obvious that the number of unsold items left at the end of the day was increasing week by week, presumably due to buyers being forced to tighten their belts by cutting down their weekly shop and focusing their diminished spending power on lower cost essentials. This trend was  particularly noticeable with some of the higher-cost branded items.

Apart from the obvious 'hit' to finances for some, the most important consequence of this decision is, of course, a moral one – considerable numbers of the least well-off members of local communities throughout the UK will have come to depend on the low prices previously available through this scheme. This is particularly relevant where an ASDA store is the only reasonably-priced food outlet in the nearby area.

Apart from the harm to the worst off in the community, by introducing this new policy, ASDA will now also be causing additional damage to the environment by generating significantly more food waste. This will have to be incinerated or go to landfill, since it cannot legally be sold or donated to food banks after its expiry date.

Last, but not least, it will also cost them more – every kg of food ‘waste’ they send to landfill will incur a charge of at least 20p at current disposal prices.

And the timing of this decision couldn’t really have been worse - for those dependent on ultra-low prices and for ASDA - here’s why…

ASDA will inevitably alienate a significant element of its customer base by doing this – it’s a well-known psychological trait that humans perceive it as far worse to take something away than not to provide it in the first place – particularly if the benefit has been highly valued by those receiving it. Our perception of ‘fairness’ is also a powerful force in our decision-making – we all recognise that those who have the least need society’s help, and the cost of living crisis has ensured there are more and more people being put in this unfortunate position. A business that operates solely in pursuit of maximising profits and fails to recognise this important ‘driver’ is likely to get short shrift nowadays - and therefore be more prone to loss of market share.

In terms of moral considerations, ASDA is a major retailer and is itself supported by local communities country-wide. It should therefore be prepared to give something back to those communities, and the environment we all inhabit, by making soon to be out of date items available as cheaply as possible. 

Food retailing is also highly competitive at present and, quite literally now, ‘price is all’. It’s widely acknowledged that the major supermarkets are all haemorrhaging customers to the discounters in the quest for the cheapest prices, and both ALDI and LIDL have already embarked on an aggressive store-building programme to take advantage of this opportunity. No area is immune from this and an existing supermarket with a new ALDI or LIDL store in prospect or already close-by will be even more likely to lose hitherto loyal customers, and would be wise to ‘look to its laurels’ very closely.

What can we as consumers do about it ?

Social media is the obvious starting point – most large organisations, although dismissive of individual approaches via their customer service departments, do respond to adverse comments on social media, particularly if they ‘go viral’.  The majors also all make a great song and dance about ‘benefitting their local community’ – this appears as a key question on every online survey, and implies an acute sensitivity to local public opinion.

The most obvious and effective weapon we have at our disposal is, of course, our feet – and we should certainly all ‘vote with them’ if we are dissatisfied.

Complaints direct to local ASDA store managers may also help here - decisions such as this one, obviously made by higher management, given their global nature, are rarely made after full consultation, and some adverse feedback from staff  ‘at the sharp end’ passed on from irate customers may just make the policy makers think again.

Our consumer champions could also make a major contribution here. Jack Monroe’s sterling efforts this time last year effectively shamed ASDA into offering their full range of Smartprice budget products in all their stores. This made a big difference in affordability, particularly for those who can’t afford a car and don’t live within easy reach of a superstore. However, closer inspection more recently reveals that a number of these products are slowly but steadily being removed from the shelves ‘by stealth’, and those that remain are frequently allowed to go out of stock before they are eventually replenished. Not surprising, perhaps, in these days of ever-tighter profit margins, but a definite betrayal of trust nevertheless.

Another trend that has been reported of late is that ASDA have shown the most rapid and extensive price rises of all the majors since the takeover of the business from Walmart by the Issa brothers and TDR Capital. This is particularly true of what remains of their ‘Just Essentials’(=old Smartprice)  budget range. There is a message there, I think, and not a very encouraging one for any ASDA customers who are ‘on the ropes’ financially.

In yet another twist to the ASDA saga, the Issa brothers bid to take-over the Co-op's 132 petrol stations and attached grocery stores has already attracted the attention of the CMA, who have ruled that it is likely to reduce competition, and have gone as far as issuing an SLC notice. This suggests The Issas' aim may well be to maximise profits in advance of a sale in a year or so's time. If so, they are likely to have scant regard for the views of staff or consumers. 

Staff are already reporting unfavourable contract changes since the takeover, resulting in reduced hours, subsistence wages and increased time pressure, which is leading many of them to reappraise whether their interests are best served by staying with ASDA. This is already leading to increased levels of staff turnover and unfilled job vacancies at 'ground level' - not good news in today's particularly tight labour market, but probably something they can live with in the run up to a sale. 

The Issas' acquisition of ASDA from Walmart was also at a knockdown price of £200M, so their returns on any future sale could be substantial - I'll leave it to the reader to decide whether this behaviour pattern is morally acceptable in the middle of a cost-of living crisis...

As a final thought, I would encourage anyone with a social conscience to put this question to the new ASDA management:

“..How will depriving the worst-off in society of food that is still wholesome, but would otherwise go to waste, benefit the local community ?”

ASDA really needs to think again, and before it’s too late…. customers who desert them for ‘greener pastures’ are unlikely to return....whoever turns out to be managing the business by then.

Update 10.5.23: I've just released an update based on 3 weeks' worth of observations. Read on to see what's  happened....

ASDA Abolish End-of-Day Price Reductions in All Their Stores: The Aftermath

Following ASDA’s unfortunate decision to abolish end-of day reductions, I made some predictions of the consequences of their action in my blog, first published on 17th April. Here are some observations  made during the last 3 weeks which may help shed some light on what ASDA’s new management are up to…

Policy change

No sign of any reversal of this ill-advised policy, unfortunately, which suggests the move was part of a concerted 'strategy update' rather than a short-term expedient. To add further insult to injury, close observation of the percentage reductions in goods which have reached their sell-by date reveals that few if any items now fall below 50% of their 'normal' price, even after 2 reductions, which is the maximum the stock control system now allows.  We will just have to see whether ASDA customer dissatisfaction with these cumulative profit-enhancing policy changes, combined with the excessive price rises they are experiencing across the board, reduces footfall sufficiently to make an impression. 

Staff dissatisfaction

Staff in my local store have been surprisingly forthcoming in their condemnation of recent policy changes and their general dissatisfaction with their contract T&Cs. Apparently there are now very few, if any ‘permanent’ contracts at shop-floor level, and wages are close to UK minimum wage. Shift patterns are often imposed and altered with little warning despite the problems with work-life balance that can cause for struggling families. Due to a combination of high turnover, staffing reductions and fewer people actually willing to work under increasingly stressful conditions for 'peanuts', ASDA are having trouble filling vacancies (as can be seen from their online job adverts). I suspect this is likely to continue unless their management’s exclusive focus on maximising short-term profit margins is abandoned. 

Food Wastage and Environmental Harm

Although I have to admit I’m not in a position to hang around our local store just before the late evening closing time to see what has been left on the ‘sell-off’ shelves, I have observed significantly more food remaining unsold on mid-evening visits, and discussions with staff have confirmed much more is being thrown away the following day than before. Staff are unhappy about this trend and quite rightly deplore the waste it involves and the extra disposal work it generates for them. There must also be a significant additional landfill disposal cost to ASDA.

Local Community reaction

Discussions with fellow shoppers reveals disquiet about the direction ASDA is taking under new management. Not only is environmental waste an issue for them, but ASDA’s recent price increases seem to be out of proportion to those seen in other supermarkets (see later for some examples). I have heard some woeful tales from some local erstwhile ‘regulars’ who used to rely on end-of-day reductions to make ends meet – I can only hope they will be able to use food banks to keep their families fed in future.

Price Rises and Reduction in Availability of Budget Lines

A close watch on availability and pricing of the ‘Just Essentials’ range has revealed three trends:

a)      Predictions that more products in this range would be dropped were accurate. At least 3 lines have disappeared from the shelves altogether in the past month and two others are continually out of stock and haven’t returned to the shelves for more than 2 weeks.

b)      Stock levels of the remaining JE products appear lower than of late and are being allowed to run out more frequently – this could of course be a logistics problem with deliveries, but I suspect the products concerned have been deliberately under-stocked in an attempt to wean customers off these loss-leader products and onto more profitable lines.

c)       Price rises across the store have risen particularly rapidly over the last 3 weeks. This has however not been uniform – as also predicted, the steepest rises have been in the budget ranges. Examples I have seen recently (prices in GBP):

JE Cornflakes 500g: 0.70 to 0.85 (+21%;LIDL 0.64, ALDI & Tesco 0.69)

JE Marmelade: 0.40 to 0.59 (+48%; Tesco)

JE Sliced Loaf (800g): 0.39 to 0.45 (+15%; LIDL & ALDI £0.39)

JE Porridge Oats 1kg: 0.70 to 0.85 (+21%; Tesco 0.75)

JE Instant Coffee Granules: 0.83 to 0.99 (+19.3%)

JE Plain Yoghurt (500g): 0.45 to 0.54 (+22.6%)

Vegetable cooking oil (5 litres): 8.50 to 12.10 (+42.4%; Tesco 8.25) 

The message from all this, for me at least, is a clear one – ASDA has ditched its low budget approach and is going for ‘profit or bust’ with a view to maximising the attractiveness of the firm for a future buyer. In common with some other retailers, they are also taking full advantage of the consumer’s currently enhanced expectations of continued food price hikes to bolster profits further.

This is of course at the expense of the environment and its customers, particularly those who are least well-off and therefore have to spend an ever-increasing proportion of their hard-earned income on food.

This trend, although entirely predictable for an institution now run exclusively by (and for!) venture capitalists, will I suspect not help ASDA retain customers in the face of the continued onslaught from the discounters.

Far from it – the goodwill ASDA accumulated under Walmart management as a reliable and cheap source of groceries during the pandemic is fast evaporating and will take years to reclaim. This will only happen if and when ASDA finds itself back in the hands of more forward thinking and community-minded management.

In the meantime I would recommend anyone on a tight budget (i.e. most of us !) to source their groceries elsewhere – you’ll likely find it significantly cheaper from now on….

Update 17.6.23 Developments over the past week have indicated that ASDA may also have abolished end of day reductions on their bakery items, which hitherto had survived the April cuts. A discussion with one of our local staff members who was unable to perform final reductions as usual earlier this week, and the absence of any mid-evening bakery markdowns since then is an ominous sign and reflects what happened in April. ASDA are unlikely to confirm this, so I think we can assume the worst. Price rises in ASDA stores continue to rise unabated across the board, with the biggest 'hits' still being on the low budget JE range. My recommendations as stated above therefore stand - at least until ASDA are once again in more community-minded hands....

Update 5.7.23: So now we know why the new ASDA management were so keen to defy the CMA's views and acquire all those new filling stations & their shops from the Coop....they wanted a bigger slice of the profits 'cake' the big four supermarkets have'baked' for themselves by effctively defrauding consumers by charging higher than necessary fuel prices. 

As we can see from the numerous news headlines that have emerged this week, they have finally been well and truly rumbled...

The current outcry from consumers and regulators alike should finally force the goverment to do something. 

The problem is that this particular government is simply exhausted and has virtually accepted that it is 'not long for this world'...as a result it has become extremely risk averse and unwilling to do anything remotely radical. Idealogically it would also far prefer to avoid any accusations of imposing price controls, which are anathema to its 'free market' approach. Thus any opportunity to 'kick the can down the road' again will be eagerly grasped, and I would predict little or no effective action to control the offending multi-national 'beasts'.

We cannot however allow cartels of large companies to take advantage of a cost of living crisis to bolster their profit margins - we all need to feel the pain of rampant inflation and high interest rates, not just the hard pressed consumer. 

What can we as individuals do to help ? - my advice would be to 'vote with your feet' and make sure that wherever possible you buy fuel (and food!) from the lowest price supplier - this will at least convince retailers that we mean business on curbing their now-exposed profiteering....

Update 18.7.23: Dissatisfaction in government with ASDA's merger and its aftermath continues - One of the Issa brothers has been summoned by Parliamentary Business and Trade Select Committee to answer questions on ASDA's policy on fuel pricing., following the CMA's 'special mention' of ASDA's misdeeds at the fuel pump and its £60,000 fine for failure to provide evidence to the Authority in a timely way. The Issas' claim that ASDA remains a 'consumer champion' frankly beggars belief, and the evidence reveals how far the new management  are prepared to go with their policy for 'profit at any cost'...One can only hope HMG keeps up the pressure until the pattern of bad behaviour changes or ownership moves elsewhere.

First published 10.5.23

Revised: 18.7.23

The UK's Teen Vaping Epidemic - Should we be Worried ?

The short answer to this question, I’m afraid, has to be:  Yes.

Read on to find out why......

Introduction

‘Vaping’ is the administration of vaporised nicotine solution by inhalation.

This form of nicotine intake has been growing in popularity for a number of years since it was first introduced as an aid to smoking cessation.

Smoking itself was recognised as a major cause of death in the late 20th century, but due to vested interests in the tobacco industry (and the associated government revenues from taxation on tobacco products) serious attempts to limit the practice did not emerge until the late 1990s with anti-smoking campaigns and ultimately the banning of smoking in public places by statute. 

Smoking is still widely practised, however, and the use of vaping as a smoking cessation aid remains valuable and necessary from a health perspective. There is little doubt that the well-established harmful effects of smoking far outweigh the risks of vaping in established smokers. Because of this, the restrictions around the sale of vaping devices have been relatively lax, and these devices are widely available in retail outlets and effectively tax-free, putting them within easy reach of the majority of the population, including the young.

One worrying by-product of this lack of regulation and easy availability has been the explosion of vaping in the teen population. This is not limited to the UK – indeed the USA has been particularly badly affected and if anything UK is ‘behind the curve’ and may not yet have reached peak ‘exposure’.

The Australian Government have taken a particularly tough line on vaping for some time now since 2021 and are now introducing legislation which will ban import of all single use vapes and allow import of  other types only for prescription use in smoking cessation.  

Why should we be concerned ?

The answer to this important question this is broadly two-fold:

     1) Nicotine is a low molecular weight organic compound which is pharmacologically active in its own right (see Figure 1 for chemical structure, this link for pharmacology and properties). Chronic low dosage via inhalation is associated with a number of adverse health effects; higher doses by any route of administration are toxic and can even be lethal due to nicotine’s potential to affect heart rhythm. See link for more info on nicotine poisoning.

     2) The additives which are used to enable nicotine solutions to be vaporised effectively within vaping devices are relatively innocuous in themselves. Examples are propylene glycol, glycerol, diacetyl and the many different flavourings used to enhance the taste. However, these substances generate other more harmful compounds such as formaldehyde and heavy metal ions during the heating process because of the high temperatures required for effective vaporisation. The smallest particles generated in the resulting smoke clouds may also reach the alveoli and cause irreversible lung damage similar to that caused by diesel fume micro-particulates.

Focusing on nicotine itself, this compound is one of the most addictive substances known, rivalling class A drugs such as Cocaine and Amphetamines in its ability to ‘hook’ its users. The difficulty of weaning an established smoker off cigarettes is well known and relapses are common after cessation. This is one of the principal reasons for the popularity of vaping devices in smoking cessation therapy, since it provides a less harmful alternative source of nicotine to tobacco and also allows a gradual reduction in nicotine dosing over time.

We know already that there are increased risks of nicotine addiction in the young. 

Epidemiological studies have shown CNS effects including early cognitive dysfunction. E-cigarettes are known to exacerbate the symptoms of patients with existing lung conditions such as COPD and asthma, and they have also been reported to cause symptoms in otherwise healthy individuals such as shortness of breath, nausea and palpitations.

Notwithstanding the known effects, the real ‘elephant in the room’ is the unknown risk of lung damage from the other components in vaping ‘smoke’, particularly when it comes to young, and still developing, lungs.

Although medium-term studies are underway, and have already confirmed evidence of early lung damage, vaping hasn’t been around long enough to establish whether the combined effects of nicotine administration and high-temperature vaping ‘by products’ over time cause the irreversible lung damage that is characteristic of COPD and other incurable lung diseases. Much more work is required to establish what the long-term effects really are, and this can only be done by initiating and funding controlled clinical trials.

To gain some insight into how much long-term damage could be caused by vaping, studies have already been carried out on particle size distribution in vape smoke, and compared with that of cigarette smoke. This data is indicative because penetration into the bronchial tree and in particular the alveolar sacs where gas exchange actually occurs, is governed by particle size. Basically, the smaller the particle, the more readily it will reach the alveoli intact. One such study demonstrates that far from being much less harmful than cigarette smoke, vape smoke actually produces smaller size particles due to enhanced evaporation of water from the heated vape solution, and up to a third of these are deposited in the lower reaches of the bronchial tree. Thus we should expect more rather than less susceptibility in vapers to particle-induced alveolar damage of the type which induce COPD and other obstructive diseases.

What’s driving the epidemic ?

The vape industry which has sprung up to take advantage of the new craze has already contributed much to this situation.  The attractiveness of the device ‘packaging’ and the flavours, coupled with the addictiveness of nicotine itself have all helped inspire the vaping ‘craze’ our youngsters are currently experiencing. Observational studies confirm that children as young as ten or eleven regularly vape – a walk round any of our town or city streets will reveal many ‘carcasses’ of the single use vape variety that are most popular, together with even larger numbers of the discarded cartons they come in. These are often most prevalent in areas where teenagers tend to congregate.

The lack of any effective sales regulation ‘on the ground’, and the absence of tax makes these devices relatively cheap compared to cigarettes, thus bringing them well within the average teen’s budget.

One other effect of widespread vaping uptake which is more insidious and therefore less well appreciated is that it ‘re-normalises’ cigarette smoking. The statistics on this are quite revealing, showing a marked and almost coincident upward trend in both vaping and uptake or re-uptake of cigarette smoking over the past couple of years. Although a direct causative effect can’t be proven as yet, the circumstantial evidence is compelling.

As a general-purpose inhalation device, vapes can also easily be adapted to deliver other addictive agents such as cannabinoid derivatives. Cannabidiol (CBD) products are also readily available over the counter in UK, and their pharmacological and toxicological effects when delivered by inhalation are as yet untested.

What of the environment ?

As already discussed, vaping ‘debris’ is easily visible on our town and city streets anywhere in the UK. The vast majority of vapes sold are of the single-use variety. Re-useable devices are available for sale, but they involve recharging and refilling with vape liquid and so have not ‘taken off’ in the way that the single-use variety have. Nicotine solution is also skin-absorbed, so there is a risk of poisoning if solutions are mishandled.

Apart from the more obvious general littering problem, used vapes present a number of environmental hazards:

     1) Each device contains a small Lithium polymer (LiPo) battery which is used to power the heating element. These are used in preference to single-use dry cell batteries because of the higher voltages and current capacity needed to power the vape’s heating element. Since the more popular devices are relatively easy to take apart (the mouthpiece can often be unscrewed manually without tools), the LiPo batteries often find their way onto pavements and into gutters. Given that they are relatively small, they could easily be ingested by inquisitive small children or pets, with disastrous results. Even if this doesn’t happen the toxic chemicals in a damaged battery will slowly leach into the environment and ultimately the water supply. In certain circumstances a partially discharged vape battery may even be capable of starting a small fire if short-circuited – more of a risk than might be thought, perhaps, given recent climatological changes and the resulting bone-dry spells we’ve experienced in recent summers.

      2) Vapes are normally discarded when they are no longer capable of generating adequate ‘smoke’ to satisfy the user. With the smaller non-rechargeable devices, this often happens when the battery runs down, rather than when the nicotine solution in the reservoir is exhausted. This means that there is likely to be a significant amount of residual nicotine solution in the body of the vape which will be released when it comes apart. This can legally contain nicotine at concentrations up to 20 mg/mL in UK, which is quite sufficient to cause accidental poisoning if ingested, and it can also be absorbed through the skin if handled directly.

      3) The wastage of components used in the manufacture of single-use vaping devices is obvious – this applies particularly to the element Lithium which is used in the batteries which power virtually all phones, tablets and other rechargeable devices and is already in short supply.

How do we deal with the epidemic and protect the long-term health of our offspring ?

As always where the young are concerned, getting them to behave in ways we believe are ‘good for them’ is never easy….

An outright ban on the sale and use of vaping devices in UK would be counter-productive.

Not only would it meet combined opposition from young vapers and those vested interests in the supply industry, but it would also drive the supply underground, thus preventing any effective regulation in the future. Imports from other territories where vaping was still allowed would flood the market and possibly even attract increased usage. A more nuanced approach to restricting availability is therefore called-for.

One useful first step would be to tighten product licensing rules in UK such that the strength of nicotine solutions used was carefully regulated and strict limits placed on the maximum concentrations and the amounts of solution permissible in any one device. The MHRA do regulate vaping products in the UK (see link) but  the limits on concentration and amounts of nicotine in devices and refill liquids are still relatively high. Reductions in these would reduce the risk of toxicity both to the vaper and the environment. Any change such as this would of course require more effective monitoring and enforcement.

The absence of definitive long-term data on the health impact of vaping needs to be remedied. Any other new formulation of pharmaceutical compound would be subject to extensive trials before receiving a product license. Manufacturers should be required to carry out and fund such trials as a condition of renewal of their product licenses.

A further environmental gain would be to introduce a taxation regime similar to that in force for tobacco products, and modify this to ensure that single-use devices attracted a higher tax that re-useable ones. This should be attractive to governments, given the new revenue stream it would generate. Tax exemptions could be made for those undergoing medically-prescribed smoking cessation programmes to encourage continued use. Part of the revenue stream could also be used to support enforcement by the regulatory agencies. Last, but not least, the resulting increase in price would be a deterrent in itself, particularly if the current cost-of living ‘crisis’ proves to be more persistent than anticipated. There are reports that Government is currently considering introducing such a new taxation regime – whether this will happen before the 2024 election is another matter…. 

Increased regulation and higher pricing might go some way at least towards keeping the epidemic in check. Ultimately, though, for a highly addictive product such as this, the only answer is, to quote a previous UK PM (though mercifully not this time in the same context - we all know where that led!):

“Education, education and education…”.

‘How are we supposed to do this?’, I hear some concerned parents ask…

Although the schools and Government messaging must also play a part, the only really effective way of getting the message across is through parental influence, and this will not be at all easy.

Why ?

The average established teenage vaper will by now be a confirmed nicotine addict, and will find ways of feeding their 'habit', whatever exhortations or sanctions their parents might come up with. A subtle and relentless approach will no doubt be called for and this will depend on family circumstances. Where parents can really help stem the tide initially is by ensuring any early-teenage offspring who haven’t already succumbed…don’t. Put your efforts into limiting the damage by prevention first, then focus on your established addicts as the tougher ‘remedial’ cases thereafter.

Final thoughts

As a society, we need to take action to protect our young people's health, and sooner rather than later…

There is plenty of evidence already that vaping is harmful to the lungs and also damages the environment, and the ‘teen epidemic’ is clearly out of control.

Any action we take now may help prevent an epidemic of irreversible lung disease fifteen or twenty years down the line. We just don’t know yet how serious the long-term effects of vaping might be.

The schools and government certainly have an important role to play, and the recent announcement by the Australian government of legislation to make vaping devices prescription-only and ban single-use vapes altogether suggests that the UK may well eventually go the same way.  

The recent news report highlighting high lead and nicotine content in unregulated vape products circulating widely in our schools more or less guarantees that more regulation is on the way.

However, it is really only parents who can provide the necessary support to ensure their children’s health is protected.

The prospect of parents outliving their children is never a pleasant one, as the obesity epidemic in our children has already taught us – let’s do what we can now to prevent it happening again…

See my blog for more details and updates.

First Published: 22.4.23

Revised 8.9.23

'Dementia Clocks' - are they any good, and how do they work ?

Dementia in our ever increasing elderly population is sadly reaching epidemic proportions, and is one of the downsides of  the great strides improvements we've seen in our health service over the past 75 years. Unfortunately, we've not yet managed to retard the inexorable process of ageing, and until we do (if ever) diseases of old age will continue to be prevalent. An industry has sprung up in recent years to service the needs of the elderly - one product of these is the so-called 'dementia clock' 

I recently acquired one of these devices, and was intrigued to see how useful they were. This particular device was a charity donation, and didn't come with its original printed user manual, so my first step was to scour the 'net' to see what I could find. Predictably, there wasn't much to be had apart from the odd YouTube video, despite the increasing popularity of these clocks.

I therefore decided to try and document the process of setting up and maintaining one of the more common variants, the YCOO RoHS-sponsored  digital alarm. 

Although the design of these clocks does vary, most have similar functionality, so if you have another type and don't have specific instructions for it, these might be worth a look.

You can down load the .pdf document from my Books page.

Hope it's useful....

1.9.23

Useful Links:

For keen recyclers in the Loughborough Area:

Charnwood Community Fridge: https://sites.google.com/view/charnwoodcf