SABS to develop first standards for vaping products | Business
The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) is starting to draft the first set of standards for vaping products in South Africa.
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The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) is starting to draft the first set of standards for vaping products in South Africa.
Currently in South Africa, and on the rest of the continent, there are no guidelines or regulations for vaping products.
The new SABS standards will cover electronic vaping products and their components, including cartridges.
"It is estimated that about 350 000 people use vaping products [in South Africa] and that sales in 2019 amounted to R1.25 billion. As the industry grows, there is a need to establish national standards that guide the quality of the products and provide consumers with some assurance that the electronic devices and products used in vaping are safe to use," said Jodi Scholtz, lead administrator at the SABS.
The Department of Health has prepared a draft bill on the control of tobacco products and electronic devices products that is currently open for public enquiry.
The SABS says its new standards will focus on vaping products and take into account the inclusions of the draft bill, "with the knowledge that standards are voluntary in nature".
The SABS standards will also be subject to public comment.
"All comments are then taken into account in the next stage of developing the draft standard into a national standard (SANS)," says Scholtz.
It takes on average about 300 days to develop a national standard.