Vaping 95%
According to a leading health expert, the claim that vaping 95% safer than smoking has backfired and encouraged some kids to start vaping.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s vice president for policy, Dr. Mike McKean, treats children with lung disorders.
He claims that the 2015 public statement that vapes are only for adults who are addicted to cigarettes should have been more explicit.
Research on the potential health effects of vaping is ongoing.
Dr. McKean stated in an exclusive interview with the BBC that vaping is not appropriate for kids and teenagers. Although he emphasizes that few children are becoming seriously ill from it and that significant problems are uncommon, it could actually be quite hazardous for you.
Only those who are addicted to cigarettes should use vaping as a tool.
His statement that the 95% safe messaging was “a very unwise thing to have done and it’s opened the door to significant chaos”
He claims that the “switch to vape” slogan has unintentionally encouraged kids to start using e-cigarettes.
Research on the potential health effects of vaping is ongoing.
Many young people, especially children, who never intended to smoke have started vaping but are now probably addicted to it. And I find it utterly astounding that we permitted that to occur.
“I feel that by sort of adopting something almost too much without the real appropriate consideration, we have ignored children and young people. It feels like we have put all of our eggs in one basket and said, “This is the way to handle cigarette smoking.”
One of the original 2015 report’s co-authors, Prof. Ann McNeil, told the BBC that the recommendations were based on the literature available at the time and what was known about the products’ contents.
It was only ever meant to convey that there is a significant difference between the hazards, not that they are safe.
She claims that although vaping is less dangerous than smoking, kids shouldn’t use it.
The vaping business continues to advertise its products using the claim that their products are 95% safer.
According to the available research, e-cigarettes contain a small portion of the danger associated with cigarettes, according to doctors, public health professionals, cancer organizations, and governments in the UK.
The most recent UK report on e-cigarettes and health, released in 2022, states:
- Vaping poses “a small fraction” of the dangers of smoking in the short and medium term.
- Vaping is not risk-free, especially for those who have never smoked.
- Long-term consequences or dangers of vaping are unknown and need to be studied. Flavorings’ potential impact on health risks is not well-established.
- Although different amongst products, the risk and degree of nicotine dependence from vaping is lower than that from smoking.
Although it is illegal to offer vapes to those under the age of 18, evidence indicates that an increasing number of young people are doing so.
According to a poll conducted by the Office for National Statistics, more than one in 10 individuals between the ages of 16 and 24 reported being daily or occasional users in 2022.
The addictive nicotine rush from vapes is present despite the fact that they don’t contain the same harmful chemicals as cigarettes. Some adolescent drug users claim to be addicted. The BBC has been looking into teenage vaping; recent testing on illegal vapes seized from a school revealed dangerous levels of metals that might be breathed into children’s lungs.
As vapes is perceived as absolutely risk-free by young people, there is concern that this trend may continue.
Ian claims he was horrified when he discovered his 13-year-old kid using a vaporizer.
He has a vapes addiction, and the more research I did, the more I realized he is not the only one.
I questioned him about why he does it, and he responded that it gave him a thrill, which is how addictions begin.
Recently, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak referred to it as “ridiculous” that vapes were marketed at youngsters despite being intended for use by adults trying to quit smoking.
Vapes are only available with a prescription in Australia.
Both before and after the introduction of vapes, smoking rates among adults and children in the UK have been consistently declining. Smokers who want to stop can benefit from vaping.
Mr. Sunak is anticipated to make an announcement soon about steps to combat child vaping in England. The administrations of Wales and Scotland have previously demanded a ban on single-use vapes.
