HANGZHOU, China — Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba announced on Wednesday that it will no longer sell e-cigarette components in the United States.
Vaping products have been linked to a mysterious lung illness that is reported to have led to 18 deaths as of last week, with the number of confirmed and probable cases of the condition exceeding 1,000, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd said that listings for products such as box mods, vape pens, herbal vapors, heat not burn devices, and empty pod cartridges would not be displayed for users located in the United States.
Prior to the suspension, buyers could easily purchase devices, component parts and packaging from sites like Alibaba or Amazon to make their own counterfeit vaping devices.
Amazon.com Inc took down vape paraphernalia in September, although it did not specify the exact products it removed.
