@SgtDisturbed47
We understand your feelings about this but it is not a simple issue.
There have been around eight reported incidents on ECF where people have experienced explosive equipment failures or similar, but we think there have probably been about double that number.
The various pros and cons around this have been discussed at length, but here are some of the points:
- ECF cannot stand by and see people injured, and then the media crucifying us. There are those who think we should just turn a blind eye to it all, but we don't agree.
- We have a duty to protect our members. We could simply place many warnings up to inform members to exercise great care when choosing a metal tubemod that can take two batteries (which we will be doing very soon); but this is really only doing half the job. We also need to find some way to help, in order to direct members to safer choices - you can't just say, "Don't do this".
- This issue has been ongoing for three years plus. Everybody involved knows about it but nothing has been done. It's hard to work out the reasons behind the lack of action when the consequences are so serious, but whatever they add up to, after all this time it is very clear that nothing will be done until someone somewhere applies pressure.
- If you think it is OK for us to allow members to buy equipment through ECF that can result in them being seriously injured, that's fine because you are entitled to your own opinion. The staff don't agree and neither do many members.
- Actually, we aren't going to stop the sales of potentially dangerous devices, because we don't normally enforce things in this way. All we will be doing is warning members about possible issues, and providing a set of guidelines that manufacturers can use if they like. That's all. In our view there will be a marketing advantage to selling compliant devices and we will certainly assist in their promotion, since that is our duty. Anyone can buy or sell anything and we don't intend to stop that, either now or in the future - it is all going to be 'carrot' as against 'stick'. But to step away from our duty and ignore the consequences is not going to happen.
- If you think it is OK for CASAA board members and volunteers to spend thousands of hours of unpaid time fighting hard against ecig bans, only to have yet another obstacle placed in their way and added to the list: 'dangerous exploding ecigs' - then you are entitled to that opinion. You might join CASAA and ask them how they feel about it.
- After two years of warnings to the trade from ECF, and one year of the EMSS in operation, it is now time something new is done. It looks as if nothing will be done by the trade as a whole, and it is likely that few individual vendors will do anything if the rest don't, because there are always going to be negatives with safety and security - it's the nature of the thing.
- One reason the trade have done nothing is that they have no direction. ECF can assist and provide it. To suggest that ECF is 'just a forum' is probably not a realistic evaluation.
- Another reason for lack of action is that vendors/manufacturers may not have the resources to draw on. We have provided a suitable design, they can take that and build on it. It can be complied with, or totally new types of designs can be produced as a result of the direction offered. Some have already been suggested.
- There has been some resistance to the design provisions of EMSS since some manufacturers are not engineers in the strict sense of the word, they might have a drill press and a mini lathe in their garage and cannot achieve results not allowed by that machinery. This is not the fault of ECF. The days of cheaply-produced gastight metal tubemods might be over (although I dispute that, since gas vents can be milled into a metal tubemod at the grand cost of $6), but that may not be a bad thing. The friends and family members of those who have spent a week in hospital as a result of using one have strong views on this, which we know as they have told us exactly how they feel, and that they fully support our initiatives. However engineers can always find solutions to the the trickiest problem, it's what they do; but perhaps not for 50 cents, though.
- One manufacturer has now produced an IP65-rated electronic metal tubemod fully complying with the EMSS. This means a watertight version. From this you can probably see that there is a difference between an engineer and a guy with a drill press and lathe in his garage.
- You may wish to consider whether you feel it is right for some people with a drill press in their garage to dictate the course of vaper's rights. This is about what it boils down to.
The EMSS is a voluntary set of guidelines that has always aimed to help manufacturers produce a safer device. Now in version 2, it has matured to a feature set that should help to substantially reduce these catastrophic events. We hope there will be a marketing advantage to compliance, but in any event members will be told about the issues and advised to choose carefully.
Other benefits are that:
- New designs are produced that circumvent the problem in the first place (gas pressure buildup)
- The industry decides they don't want a third party advising them on safety issues, and sets up their own board
We fully approve and if ECF could step away then we'd be very happy about that. Until action is seen elsewhere, it's only us doing anything about the situation. No problem, that's normal and we are used to it; in fact you might say it's our job. Some might not agree but you probably need to ask: who is advocating for vapers' rights globally?
Who is working on consumer affairs in the USA? Not CASAA as they have specifically disclaimed any and all consumer affairs responsibility in the ecig area, understandable since they are massively overloaded with the legislative battles they handle better than anyone else. CASAA does a fantastic job in the legal area (especially as regards local issues) and nobody worldwide can approach their competence and dedication; but they can't currently take on more work in other areas as it just isn't possible.
Somebody needs to look at those issues and in the absence of anyone else, ECF does what it can. If someone would like to set up a consumer affairs department within CASAA and take on all these issues, then all well and good. Until that time, ECF will do what it can, because zero action is not acceptable to us.
We believe that CASAA supports our initiatives in this area although perhaps they may not want to become involved in contentious areas such as this. If CASAA members do have a problem with it then they can always move to create a department within CASAA to get involved here. Thus far they have devolved this area to us, and in the absence of any variation in that policy we are happy to proceed. Each to their area of competence.
