Fake tobacco vaporisers a health risk, warns Ploom

A US manufacturer of tobacco vaporisers and e-cigarettes has warned that counterfeit copies of its products could be harmful.

San Francisco-based Ploom has developed portable vaporisers - colloquially known as 'vapes' - that heat rather than burn tobacco and markets them as a "redefinition" of tobacco use. 

Unlike e-cigarette products these products use real tobacco rather than liquid nicotine. The firm is careful not to make any claims for the products in terms of being healthier than smoking or a way to quit the habit, for fear of falling foul of health claim regulations, but notes that the product produces no smoke.

Ploom is warning that it has discovered fake versions of its Pax unit (pictured) in the marketplace that contain plastic materials which are not likely to be stable at the temperatures reached in the product's heating unit.

The implication is that use of these plastics could result in users inhaling harmful chemicals, placing their health at risk.

The Pax is a premium product - retailing at up to $249 per unit - but fake versions are being sold via online retailers at a discount, typically around $170 to $200. A quick online search revealed dozens of ads for Pax products in that price range.

"Consumer safety is our utmost concern," said James Monsees, co-founder and chief executive of Ploom.

"To ensure consumers receive the quality we stand behind, we urge consumers to purchase Pax vaporizers from Ploom.com or from authorized retailers identified through the Ploom.com authorised retail locator," he added.

The company has already started legal proceedings against companies involved in manufacturing the knock-offs. Earlier this month it filed a complaint against Chinese manufacturer Shenzhen Chiamey Technology Co after an inspection by the local authorities resulted in the discovery and seizure of counterfeits.