An urgent warning has been given to vapers, after devices seized in the UK were reportedly found to contain a deadly and flesh-eating tranquilliser.
Xylazine is usually used by vets on animals like horses and cows, but it was discovered in a number of e-cigarettes confiscated in Luton.
Over in America, the drug has caused a widespread epidemic, as it can cause the skin and muscle to rot when mixed with illegal drugs like heroin and fentanyl. The discovery came after 125 local authorities were found to have uncovered more than 2.5 million illegal and potentially deadly vapes over the last three years.
Karl Warburton, 43, became the first Briton to fall victim to the drug in May last year, passing away from acute aspiration pneumonitis. The condition is often caused by inhaling toxins.
Read more: Expert warns vaping perhaps 'just as damaging' as smoking - seven linked health problems
The Mirror reports that Karl's death was announced in the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine from King's College London (KCL), which detailed how he overdosed on a concoction of xylazine, heroin, fentanyl and cocaine. At the time, his older sister expressed her fears that xylazine could potentially cause more deaths across the UK.
Experts also detailed how modified vaporizers could have potentially life-threatening consequences. Superintendent Pharmacist at Chemist Click, Abbas Kanani, told The Sun: "It could have serious and potentially dangerous effects. In severe cases, respiratory depression can be life-threatening."
Illicit e-cigs don't comply with UK laws and regulations, meaning that they could contain higher concentrations of nicotine, banned ingredients or oversized tanks for liquids. It was also found that illegal vapes can contain high levels of lead, nickel and even chromium.
Kate Pike, who is the lead officer at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, told The Guardian that the figures were also just the 'tip of the iceberg'. She went on: "There is a significant number of illegal products on the market, which does not help when we are trying to support public health response which is to ensure the products are much safer than tobacco for smokers looking to quit.
"The main concern is that young people are getting their hands on these products... We do not want children or adults getting addicted to something at all like this. We know that legal compliant vapes pose a fraction of the risk of smoking but we do not know what the risk is from illegal vapes."
Earlier in June, NHS leaders raised alarms over an increasing number of kids admitted to hospital after vaping. The NHS revealed that 40 children across England were admitted to hospital last year due to 'vaping-related disorders' - a figure up from 11 just two years earlier.
Paediatricians meanwhile, have warned that 'youth vaping is fast becoming an epidemic among children', while calling upon the Government to ban disposable devices. A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson, said: "It is illegal to sell nicotine vapes to children and we are concerned about the recent rises in youth vaping, particularly because of the unknown long-term harms.
"We are taking bold action to end this practice through the £3m Illicit Vapes Enforcement Squad, which will tackle products imported and traded illicitly, remove illegal products from the market that don't comply with our regulations, and tackle underage sales to children. We have also launched a call for evidence to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vape products and explore where the government can go further.
"The call for evidence has now closed, and the government will be considering a range of options based on the evidence provided."
