Top Chinese vape firms research nicotine alternatives 

Three large Chinese vape companies are researching nicotine-like chemicals they think could serve as a substitute for nicotine in products like vapes, company officials said, but the health implications may still need "years" of investigation.

One such chemical, 6-methyl nicotine, is made in a lab, has a similar chemical structure to nicotine and is already used in some vapes in the United States. But regulators and researchers have warned it may be more potent and addictive than nicotine itself.

E-liquid manufacturers Hangsen International Group and Zinwi Biotech, as well as Smoore International, a top contract manufacturer for vapes and other smoking alternatives that counts big tobacco companies among its customers, said more studies were required to determine if such chemicals were safe.

"Smoore will not rush it," the company's executive director Eve Wang...