The China Consumers Association has issued a consumer reminder for "nasal energy bars", which pointed out that the appearance design and use of "nasal energy bars" are novel and unique for primary and secondary school students, and they are easy to popularize, but there are hidden dangers behind them. Some experts pointed out that the act of inserting "nasal energy bars" into the nostrils at will may not only bring in bacteria, but also damage the nasal mucosa, causing rhinitis at worst, nasal ulcers and bleeding.
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Ms. Lu, who lives in Sichuan, has recently found something called "nasal energy bar" in her son's stationery box.
Shaped like a lighter, the "Nasal Energy Bar" contains two stick-shaped plastic tubes, which are claimed to stimulate the nasal cavity and brain by inhaling the cool smell of camphor and mint in the tube, which can quickly refresh the mind, relieve fatigue and sleepiness, and also introduce different flavors such as mint, watermelon, and lemon.
At first, Ms. Lu didn't pay much attention to it: "Looking at the appearance, it feels like it is a small stationery sold in a stationery store, and it is normal for children to play with it." But after trying it once, Ms. Lu couldn't help but worry: this pungent smell is choking on adults, is it really safe for children to use?
"Snorting" may reduce drug precautions
The small, colorful box has caused a wave of trends among primary and secondary school students, and in some areas, primary school students have even come to the supermarket with "sniffing energy bars" and asked their bosses to stock them, calling them "addictive".
However, the risks and harms behind it cannot be ignored. The China Consumers Association has issued a consumer reminder for "nasal energy bars", which pointed out that the appearance design and use of "nasal energy bars" are novel and unique for primary and secondary school students, and they are easy to popularize, but there are hidden dangers behind them. Some experts pointed out that the act of inserting "nasal energy bars" into the nostrils at will may not only bring in bacteria, but also damage the nasal mucosa, causing rhinitis at worst, nasal ulcers and bleeding.
In addition, there are also media reports that due to the thin nasal mucosa of minors, it may cause abrasions or bleeding during the repeated use of "nasal suction energy bars", and in severe cases, even trigger the rupture of large blood vessels. At the same time, long-term use of "nasal energy bars" also poses a risk of infection, which may lead to swelling of the nasal mucosa and cause sinusitis.
The ingredients of "nasal energy bars" are also worth being wary of. The reporter randomly bought several domestic and foreign brands of "nasal energy bars" on the Internet, and the product information shows that a variety of products contain menthol, camphor, eucalyptus oil, borneol and other ingredients, according to their different tastes, they will also add substances such as rose essential oil, lemon essential oil and so on. In order to attract consumers, some products also include a variety of spirits ingredients.
Zhang Shengchun, deputy director of the Guangzhou Municipal Narcotics Control Office and second-level senior sergeant of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, once introduced to the public that the ingredients of "nasal energy bars" are mainly camphor and menthol. However, experts have found that some products contain alkanes, which are volatile organic compounds that pose a risk of addiction to some people if used in large quantities for a long time. In addition, camphor is used in large quantities for a long time, which has damage to the nervous system and liver. Menthol contains a low-toxicity substance called naphthalene, and it should not be used in large quantities for a long time.
"The main purpose of the products labeled as 'nasal energy bars' is for drowsiness, while over-the-counter drugs such as cooling oil and wind oil essence can have a similar effect, and can be bought in pharmacies, which is relatively more secure. Yang Jing, an instructor of the anti-drug brigade of the Karamay District Public Security Bureau of Karamay City, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, pointed out that over-the-counter drugs can be sold normally in pharmacies, but the main sales channel of "nasal energy bars" is not in pharmacies, and some products have addictive substances and even unknown ingredients, which is worth being vigilant against.
In addition, the harm of "snorting" is beyond imagination, and for minors whose personality has not yet matured, this behavior may reduce the psychological awareness of drugs and make it easier to fall into the trap of drug-related activities. "The way to insert energy bars into people's nostrils, especially both nostrils, for inhalation is very sensitive for our anti-drug department. For example, ketamine (K powder) cracked down on by our anti-drug department, as well as substitutes for drugs such as telotamine hydrochloride, are all smoked in the form of snorting. Yang Jing said that if students follow the trend, it may make them agree with the rationality of this behavior and undermine the awareness of drug prevention.
Yang Jing introduced that a few years ago, there was another popular product on the market called "nasal milk flavor stick", which put milk powder on the table or a piece of paper and sucked it through the straw that came with the product. "It's just ordinary milk powder, but it has a bad impact on the student group, many students think it's very handsome, shake their heads and swing their bodies sharply after smoking, imitating the mental hyperactivity after drug use, and it is easy to reduce the identification and prevention psychology of drug use among young people. ”
Strengthen supervision around campuses
Recently, the market supervision departments in many places across the country have focused on stationery stores, toy stores, grocery stores, stores, supermarkets, etc. around primary and secondary schools and kindergartens in their jurisdictions, and have carried out investigations and rectifications of "nasal energy bars" and similar commodities, so as to prevent "three nos" products from entering the market and endangering the physical and mental health of minors. Among them, the public security, education, market supervision and other departments of Karamay District, Karamay City, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, found "nasal energy bars" in a well-known daily necessities retail store in the jurisdiction, and removed more than 200 pieces of the product from the shelves.
For the regulatory authorities, the characterization of "nasal energy bar" products has always been difficult. The reporter learned that there is currently no clear industry standard and quality control measures for "nasal energy bars". Taking several products purchased by reporters through online consultation as an example, manufacturers mostly adopt enterprise standards. "The product 'nasal energy bar', judging by the characteristics of the product, is neither a drug or a toy, but an ordinary product, and there is no clear national standard at present. Tai Laiti, head of the product quality section of the Karamay District Market Supervision and Administration Bureau, said.
This large-scale investigation and rectification of "nasal energy bars" belongs to the "three nos" products, and the market supervision department shall deal with them in accordance with the Product Quality Law; if they are operated without a license, they shall be dealt with in accordance with the "Measures for the Investigation and Punishment of Unlicensed and Unlicensed Operations";
In addition, Article 3 of the Product Quality Law stipulates that the seller shall establish and implement a purchase inspection and acceptance system to verify the product qualification certificate and other marks. Tailaiti pointed out that the seller should first verify the business qualification of the supplier during the order period, and should also confirm whether the product is from a regular manufacturer and whether the product meets the national compulsory product certification standards. "Taking toys as an example, sellers must purchase in accordance with the national standards for toys, and they can only be sold after passing the national compulsory certification and <>C certification. However, Tailaiti revealed that the on-site sales staff of the seized "nasal energy bar" did not know about the hidden dangers of the product.
"Every year, we carry out special rectification for the protection of minors, and there are still many problems encountered in this process. For example, this special operation involves the 'radish knife', which was very popular before, as well as candy in the shape of cigarettes, and playing cards printed with revealing photos. Tailaiti introduced that the market supervision department removed all the relevant "three no" products from the shelves in the special rectification process, and criticized and educated the merchants.
For ordinary consumers, Tailaiti recommends that when purchasing goods, refer to the implementation standards on the packaging box or manual, and inquire on the national standard information public service platform, and advise consumers to be cautious if they cannot find it. In addition, consumers should keep the consumption voucher after consumption, and once it is found that the operator produces and sells "three no" toys, the toy label is incomplete and inaccurate, the toy warning description is missing or the age label is unreasonable, etc., the local consumer council should be complained in a timely manner.
At present, products such as "nasal energy bars" have attracted the attention of consumer protection committees in many places. Among them, the Jiangsu Provincial Consumer Protection Commission called on merchants not to sell products that are detrimental to the health of minors and not to sell substandard products. In particular, small shops and supermarkets around primary and secondary schools should not only bring convenience to students, but also control the products they sell, and strictly prohibit the sale of problematic products including "sniffing energy bars" to students.
The Tianjin Consumers Association suggested that relevant departments should intervene to strengthen supervision around schools to protect the physical and mental health of children and adolescents. On the one hand, it is necessary to put an end to the sales channels of "nasal energy bars" within the school, and strictly prohibit "nasal energy bars" from entering the school; on the other hand, some campus signs can also be installed to publicize the harm of "nasal energy bars", which is conducive to improving students' awareness of the dangers of "nasal energy bars" after addiction.
It's still everywhere on the web
Although local market supervision departments have successively "punched", some e-commerce platforms can still easily search for "nasal energy bars", covering domestic and foreign brands, product prices range from a few yuan to dozens of yuan, and some merchants have monthly sales of tens of thousands of pieces. Most of these products will be marked on the detail page with "Say goodbye to sleepiness" and "One breathe and refresh", and claim that such products are pure in formula and safe to use.
Judging from the consumer evaluation, most consumers use it to refresh themselves, including office workers and students, saying that "the class is very refreshing" and "when learning to be sleepy, I use the spirit immediately", and even some parents buy it for their children, saying that "children are sleepy when they study at night, and they buy it to help refresh themselves". There are also some consumers who use it to unblock nasal congestion, but most of them say that they can only ventilate for a short time.
The reporter randomly consulted several stores with high sales as a consumer, and most of the customer service said that the product had a production license. When asked who it is suitable for, some stores said that it can be used by students, some stores said that children should use it under adult supervision, and some stores said that it is not recommended for children.
"Now these products are not mainly sold in physical stores, and it can even be said that most of them are online, and it is easy to search for keywords such as 'nasal energy bars' and 'hybrid energy bars' on Taobao, Douyin and other platforms, which will recommend you various flavors, cheap and easy to obtain." Yang Jing pointed out that it also includes foreign goods, which are marked in foreign languages, making it difficult to identify their ingredients and product details.
Tyleti raised the same concerns. "We can check physical stores every day, whether it is special or daily inspections, and community streets can be found to find related problems. The biggest challenge now is online stores, there are more and more opportunities for minors to buy products from the Internet, and many physical stores also buy from the Internet, so online supervision is a big challenge for us. ”
Tai Laiti said that the market supervision department in each place has the task of network investigation, but for some large cities with developed manufacturing industries, there are a large number of production enterprises, and the pressure of investigation is greater. "Maybe it's popular today, and tomorrow it's a new one, the output is particularly large, and there are many online stores, and the challenges and pressures faced by the regulatory authorities can be imagined. ”
China Youth Daily, China Youth Network reporter Li Ruoyi Intern Wang Zhe Liu Siqian Source: China Youth Daily