New products that facilitate stealth vaping: the case of SLEAV

Abstract

© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. No commercial reuse. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. Stealth vaping (ie, the use of devices resembling everyday products to facilitate inconspicuous vaping) has proliferated in the face of smokefree air laws that include electronic cigarettes (ecigarettes). To this end, companies are modifying smartwatches, video games, toys and apparel to help conceal vaping when it is prohibited. For example, Vaprwear Gear’s backpacks and hoodies use a silicone tube designed to connect to an ecigarette through their pockets or straps, hiding the device itself. These products may appeal to adolescents as they help conceal the use of ecigarettes from their parents and teachers. In the spring of 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took measures to reduce stealth vaping among youths by issuing warning letters to numerous companies, including Vaprwear Gear, Vapewear, Wizman, EightCig, Ejuicepack, Vape Royalty, VapeCentric, Dukhan Store, VapeSourcing and Shenzhen Uwell Technology, expressing concern that they each marketed stealth vaping products to youths. Additional companies have begun selling auxiliary products designed to be paired with ecigarettes. Through our systematic surveillance of tobacco industry practices and promotions using social media data, we recently identified a new product that may be of interest to the tobacco control community, educators and parents alike. SLEAV, a compact pocket filter manufacturer operating in San Diego, California, promotes an attachable, smokefree device that claims it can reduce secondhand smoke (aerosol) through a proprietary filter. Users can attach their personal ecigarette (eg, Puff Bar, JUUL) to the filter in the silicone case designed by SLEAV (figure 1) that captures the exhale of vapour through its mouthpiece, diminishing the vapour and odour without impeding airflow. Similar to previous products meant to conceal ecigarette use, SLEAV can provide youths with an easy way to hide aerosol as well as the smell in public and private settings like home and school. Products can be purchased from SLEAV through their website and through Instagram’s purchasing feature. SLEAV uses both Instagram with 4822 followers and 46 posts and Facebook with 32 followers and 77 posts to market and advertise their products, including the use of discounts (eg, 30% off Black Friday sale). Images on both platforms regularly feature young adults using ecigarettes and cannabis vape products (eg, STIIIZY) along with their device. The company states that, “SLEAV provides you the freedom to choose WHEN and WHERE you vape, without worrying about affecting those around you”. While touted as a strategy to remove ‘secondhand smoke’ and promote public health, SLEAV’s product provides opportunities for youth to conceal vaping on school grounds, as well as allow all users to circumvent current tobacco policies in place. Circumventing clean indoor air laws has been documented in previous research, for instance, stealth vaping takes place by experienced users in locations such as in airports or on airplanes, at work, bars/nightclubs, restaurants and movie theatres, as well as by adolescents on school grounds—specifically in bathrooms, hallways and classrooms. Parents, teachers and the tobacco control community may want to consider products like SLEAV, when investigating ways to identify and reduce stealth vaping in the future. SLEAV is another example of a nonnicotine, addon product used alongside vaping devices that has been designed to circumvent tobacco control policies, for example, Puff Krush provides a flavour additive to be used with ecigarette devices meant to circumvent current flavour restrictions. The FDA may consider issuing a warning letter to SLEAV in its efforts to reduce ecigarette products that appeal to minors (ie, individuals under the age of 21).