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UK Doctors Warn About Addiction And Health Dangers To Children From Vapes

The BMA urges Government to take action to stop a growing ‘epidemic’ of vaping

Unionsafety, when first writing in September 2019, about the then latest craze of 'vaping' commented that we are swapping one addiction for another and reported too on the dangers for children. We argued that vapes should be regulated and declared a form of therapy to be used only as part of quitting smoking.

Now years later, doctors have raised concerns about just that and have said the evidence shows that children who have never smoked are becoming addictive to vapes containing chemicals that provide flavourings which were never meant to be inhaled and some which are carcinogenic.

Whilst the NHS and organisations such as ASH, claim that vaping is a good form of smoking reduction, there is little evidence that this is the case and that people who vape, eventually quit vaping and more importantly, quit smoking. However, anecdotal evidence shows that smokers are merely swapping one addiction for another. One which because of the level of nicotine that vapes deliver. increases addiction levels and does not in fact help many people to come off smoking - they just replace the delivery of nicotine from cigarettes to vapes.

According to research done in the USA and around the world, and despite claims that vaping is less harmful than smoking cigarettes and that it might help smokers quit, concern about its risks is well deserved:

• Nicotine addiction. Whether in cigarettes or vapes, nicotine is highly addictive. And the amount of nicotine in many vaping products is much higher than in regular cigarettes. Side effects include reduced appetite, increased heart rate and blood pressure, nausea, and diarrhea.

• Harm to lungs and heart. Vapors from e-cigarettes may contain cancer-causing toxins, metals, and lung irritants. Vaping raises risk for lung diseases, such as emphysema, asthma, chronic bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It's also linked to an increased risk of heart attacks. Even secondhand exposure to e-cigarette vapors may trigger asthma.

• Severe, potentially fatal lung injury. In 2019, doctors began seeing people who had recently vaped and developed shortness of breath, cough, fever, and extensive lung damage. Dubbed EVALI (e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury), more than 2,800 cases and 68 deaths were reported. The condition has been linked to vapors containing THC and a form of vitamin E (called vitamin E acetate) used as a thickening agent when vaping THC. Cases have fallen markedly since 2020. Possibly because of falling case numbers, the FDA announcement of new vaping products didn't even mention EVALI, which seems odd. If you do vape, see these recommendations to reduce the risk of EVALI.

• Health risks during pregnancy. Nicotine can damage a baby's developing brain and lungs; some flavourings may be harmful as well. As a result, experts recommend that people who are pregnant not vape.

In particular, homes in which people vape, are once again putting non-vapers, as was with cigarette smoking, at risk of developing asthma and other respiratory illnesses and perhaps even cause heart problems in otherwise hea;thy children and adults.

The British Medical Association have issued a report in which they say the government should ban disposable vapes, flavoured vapes, and allow them only to be sold to adults who are trying to quit smoking.

On Wednesday of this week (28th August 2024), they issued the following press release:

"The BMA is calling on the Government to stop what it calls a “growing epidemic of vape use in the UK”. With vape use among children and young people increasing almost six-fold in the last decade1, a BMA report released today indicates that one of the most dominant factors influencing this rise is the widespread availability of disposable vapes.

Within the report, the professional association for doctors across the UK lays out a series of bold actions needed to stem the trend of increased vaping, particularly among children and young people, and those who have never smoked.

While the previous Conservative government introduced the Tobacco and Vapes Bill earlier this year which set out proposals around regulating the sale of vapes, this was not carried forward into the new parliamentary session.

The new Labour Government re-introduced a Bill aimed at tackling smoking and youth vaping during the King’s Speech in July, but so far there are no details of any measures that will be taken.

In today’s report “Taking our breath away: why we need stronger regulation of vapes”2, the BMA sets out its blueprint for what legislation should include to tackle rising vape use, especially among children and young people. Recommendations include:

• Banning the commercial sale of all disposable vapes, on the grounds of disproportionate and harmful use by children and young people and their adverse impact on the environment.
  
  
• Banning all non-tobacco vape flavours.
  
  
• Prohibiting the use of all imagery, colouring and branding for both the packaging and vape device, similar to current restrictions on cigarettes.
  
  
• Further restrictions on all advertising and marketing; and ensure vapes are kept behind the counter and not on display in shops and retail outlets.
  
  
• Government education campaigns for the public on the dangers of vapes to reduce appeal, especially among children and young people.

While the BMA recognises that vapes can be a useful tool in helping some people to stop smoking cigarettes, they offer a less dangerous rather than a risk-free alternative, with the World Health Foundation having declared them harmful. Vaping can lead to nicotine addiction, with nicotine having the potential to cause health problems such as high blood pressure and increased risk of COPD. Further, some e-cigarettes have been found to contain other harmful substances such as lead.

When combined with the rising number of children and young people trying and smoking vapes, the BMA says the Government must not shy away from taking brave action.

Professor David Strain, chair of the BMA’s board of science, said:

“There is no denying we are living in a vaping epidemic. Vape usage has risen hugely in the last decade, with one in 10 ten adults now vaping. However, far more worrying, is the increase in young people who vape, with almost six times more 11-17 year-olds vaping now compared with ten years ago.

As a doctor, I understand the role vapes can play in helping people to stop smoking, but they have no rightful place in our children and young people’s lives and when it comes to protecting their health, we cannot afford to gamble.

An industry so obviously targeting children with colours, flavours and branding, to push a product that can lead to nicotine addiction and potential further harms cannot be allowed to happen any longer.

And with two vapes thrown away every second in the UK, the environmental impact of this epidemic is disastrous.”

Dr Penelope Toff, chair of the BMA’s public health medicine committee, added:

“The last Government made significant progress putting forward a bill that included a ban on disposable vapes, and plans to regulate flavours and marketing. This new Government must now ensure these measures are carried through into legislation – and it would do well to go even further.

We are calling on ministers to take bold and brave actions that will make a real difference, like banning all vape flavours other than tobacco, so that the grip these products have on our children and young people is released, while still ensuring they remain an option to help some people stop smoking.

Likewise, there is no reason why they should need colourful branding and displays; they should be relegated to behind the shop counter, in plain packaging, like cigarettes have been for years.

While this Government has rightly pledged to tackle smoking and vaping, the test will be in how it acts. As we await details, we have put together this blueprint of the actions that are crucial right now to stop this serious public health threat in its tracks.”

Even the Vaping industry spokesperson told Channel4 News that he believed that there should be fines of around £10,000 for any business that sells vapes to children.

Source: BMA / Harvard Medical School / Channel 4 news / The Guardian

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