Vaping: Addressing the Commercial and Medical Exploitation of Flavored Vaporizers
The article highlights the dangers of using flavored vaporizers and the need for strict regulations around their marketing and sale, particularly to children. While vaporizers are considered a positive move for health compared to smoking tobacco, the long-term effects of e-cigarettes are still unknown. Furthermore, the commercial rather than medical exploitation of vaping has led to the production of flavored vaporizers with brilliantly designed packaging that appeal to children, making them a ubiquitous and harmful mass phenomenon.
The Dangers of Youth Vaping
My public health colleagues tell me that youth vaping is one of the biggest threats to future generations. This is particularly worrying given the level of marketing and promotion of vaporizers that specifically target young people. Research shows that there has been an increase in 11- to 15-year-olds using e-cigarettes from 6 to 9 percent in four years, and an increase in use among those aged 11 to 17 since 2014. The availability of illegal products in the UK is also concerning, as children are found in possession of illegal vaporizers that contain potentially carcinogenic levels of lead and similar volatile organic compounds.
Regulations to Tackle the Issue
The £3million vape enforcement team is a good start to getting the issue of youth vaping under control, but it is not enough. Health programs in schools and the discontinuation of free samples for children are welcome, but regulations should be made sterner. The British Medical Association is calling for the same restrictions on packaging as tobacco products, imposing a color and font, and making it illegal for products to be displayed at the point of sale. Flavorings should also be limited, in line with tobacco product regulations to curb the use of flavored vaporizers in underage individuals.
Vaping: An Alternative to Smoking or a Gateway to Nicotine Addiction?
For smokers, encouraging a switch to vaping undoubtedly reduces health risks. However, there is much debate surrounding whether vaping is a gateway to nicotine addiction. While some legal products contain nickel, tin, and lead in very small doses, in the long term, if inhaled, they can be linked with lung diseases. The effects of these metals inhaled deep into the lungs are unknown. Furthermore, many of the flavors, while safe for oral consumption, have an unconfirmed impact when inhaled deep into the lungs. Studies have shown that nicotine is highly addictive, leading to impaired attention, learning, mood, and impulse control in children and young adults.
Other Concerns Linked With Vaping
Additionally, there are concerns around the long-term effects of the chemicals used in vaping fluids. Many of them are carcinogenic, and inhaling them in the long term could lead to lung cancer, throat cancer, as well as stroke and dementia. The number of volatile organic compounds that are present in vaporizers has to lead to a new debate surrounding its safety. These substances include acrolein, urethane, formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde, among others. Although they are present at lower levels than in tobacco smoke, they are potentially hazardous when inhaled.
Conclusion
While vaping is considered a better alternative to tobacco smoking, it still has several unknown long-term effects. The potential for addictive nicotine products to be marketed, particularly to underage individuals, is a significant concern. Regulations are necessary to curb the use of flavored vaporizers and to limit their sale to persons who are 18 years or older. Given that youth vaping is one of the biggest threats to future generations, it is crucial to enforce stricter restrictions and health warnings on vaporizers. At the end of the day, the health of our future generations is at risk, and it is our collective responsibility to take appropriate measures.
Summary
Vaping is a positive move for health compared to smoking tobacco, but its long-term effects are still unknown. The article highlights the dangers of flavored vaporizers, particularly in marketing and sale to children. Research shows that the level of marketing and promotion of vaporizers makes them a ubiquitous and harmful mass phenomenon. Strict regulations around their marketing and sale, particularly to children, are necessary to curb the issue. Additionally, there are concerns around the long-term effects of the chemicals used in vaping fluids. Many of the flavors, while safe for oral consumption, have an unknown impact when inhaled deep into the lungs. The potential gateway to nicotine addiction in young people is a considerable concern. The issue of underage vaping is a serious issue and requires collective responsibility in enforcing stringent measures to curb the underlying issue and prevent it from becoming more widespread.
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The writer is an associate professor of cardiometabolic health at the University of Exeter and chairs the board of the BMA
Smoking kills. In a world where doctors can’t reach consensus on other serious health threats, this unequivocal fact is something we can all agree on.
Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable disease in the UK and widens the health gap between rich and poor. It damages blood vessels to increase the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and dementia, while it is responsible for about 70% of lung cancers, as well as cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, bowel, kidney , liver, stomach and pancreas. Secondhand smoke increases the risk of lung cancer by about 25 per cent, with devastating effects on children’s health and development and disproportionately impacting the already deprived.
Helping people quit smoking is one of the most beneficial things we can do, and we use all the tools out there. Sitting in my acute stroke clinic, I discuss why people smoke. If it’s taste, let’s try rubber; for cravings, nicotine patches; and if it’s the whole ritual, including the “hit” received from inhaling the cigarette, then vaporizers (electronic cigarettes) are recommended. Vaporizers are one of the best modern treatments for cigarette addiction, but in the back of my mind I’m afraid we don’t have long-term data on e-cigarettes, which were only introduced to the UK market in 2007. We’ve made the transition ? patients from a lifelong exposure to tobacco to a lifelong exposure to a method of nicotine delivery with unknown long-term consequences? Compared to the approximately 5,000 chemicals and 70 carcinogens proven in tobacco, however, I’m confident the switch is a positive move for health.
But at no point in my stroke clinic did I feel the need to discuss bubblegum-flavored vapes. No patient recovering from a heart attack has rejected the need to quit smoking until offered a cherry-scented smoking cessation aid. The color of the packaging is never the deciding factor in making someone focus on the impact of their habit on their children. On the contrary, actually.
An individual who is trying to overcome their smoking addiction for the benefit of their family is unlikely to want their chosen weaning technology to be more attractive to children than to them. Yet the commercial rather than medical exploitation of vaping has led us down a particular path: these products are now a ubiquitous and harmful mass phenomenon.
There is no reason to produce flavored vaporizers with brilliantly designed packaging, unless it is to appeal to children. Addictive nicotine products should not be marketed to anyone, let alone young people. In 2020, menthol cigarettes were banned under legislation focused on discouraging young people from smoking. But at the time, it was perfectly legal for companies to give kids free samples of flavored disposable vapes to entice them. The fact that these “starter packs” are nicotine-free is little consolation: They can act as a gateway to long-term nicotine use. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced this week that the loophole would be closed.
My public health colleagues tell me youth vaping is one of the biggest threats to future generations. Given the level of marketing and promotion of vaporizers, it’s also one of the easiest to tackle. They report an increase in 11- to 15-year-olds using e-cigarettes from 6 to 9 percent in four years, and doubling use among those aged 11 to 17 since 2014. The availability of illegal products in the UK is also worrying. Children are found in possession of illegal vaporizers, with potentially carcinogenic levels of lead and similar volatile organic compounds.
The £3million vape enforcement team is a good start to getting everything under control. Health programs in schools and the discontinuation of free samples for children are welcome, but that doesn’t go far enough. The BMA is calling for the same restrictions on packaging as tobacco products, imposing a color and font and making it illegal for products to be displayed at the point of sale. Flavorings should also be limited, in line with tobacco product regulations.
E-cigarettes must have proper health warnings. Vaping is not without its risks. At the very least, we know that nicotine is highly addictive. It has been shown to impair attention, learning, mood and impulse control in children and young adults. Many of the flavors, while safe for oral consumption, have an unknown impact when inhaled deep into the lungs. Some legal products contain nickel, tin and lead in very small doses: in the long term, if inhaled, they can be associated with lung disease.
The effects are unknown at this stage. For smokers, encouraging a switch to vaping undoubtedly reduces health risks. But here’s another unequivocal fact: we must discourage people from taking vaporizers and completely prevent them from being marketed and sold to children.
https://www.ft.com/content/a6f63f08-6ea9-4dfe-9bd5-c82a802be3d6
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