When it comes to the dangers of vaping, most experts agree there’s still a lot we don’t know, but the vast majority of scientists think it’s a much better alternative to smoking tobacco.
The largest study on the topic, conducted by King’s College London last year, concluded that “while vaping is not without risk – particularly for people who have never smoked – there is only a small risk in the short to medium term.” health risks associated with smoking.” .turns on.”
This independent report, commissioned by the Department of Health and Human Services, is the most comprehensive review of the risks associated with vaping to date.
But while vaping is clearly a much better option than smoking in the general population, there are concerns that its adoption among children could be more problematic.
What are your concerns?
Given the massive and sustained decline in the number of smokers under 18 in recent decades, there are concerns that marketing gimmicks such as bright colors and exotic flavors are encouraging many children to vape when they might otherwise give up cigarettes. Others say the rise in popularity of vaping among this age group has a lot to do with peer pressure.
For those children who would never smoke tobacco cigarettes, vaping is clearly a worse option.
This is especially true if it causes them to smoke tobacco cigarettes, which some scientists believe is often the case, although the extent to which this occurs is hotly debated.
But few would disagree with the government’s chief medical officer, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, who said in May: “The key points about e-cigarettes can be easily summarized.” If you don’t smoke, don’t vape.”
How many children smoke cigarettes?
As with smoking, smoking is already illegal for those under 18, but youth vaping has nearly doubled in the past three years, and more children are now vaping, according to a report from Action on Smoking and Health ( ASH). Do you smoke.
As a result, 7.6 percent of children aged 11 to 17 now smoke regularly, up from 4.1 percent in 2020. In 2013, this figure was only 0.8 percent.
And more than one in five children under 18 have tried an e-cigarette, an increase of 30 percent in one year.
Some major studies argue that this opens the door to a harmful increase in tobacco smoking. 2021 Journal Study Pediatrics found that vapers aged 12 to 24 were three times more likely to smoke cigarettes daily in the future.
“E-cigarettes are a gateway for daily cigarette smokers,” said Professor John P. Pierce of the University of California, San Diego.
This is consistent with a 2020 Australian National University (ANU) study which found “clear evidence that non-smokers who use e-cigarettes are about three times more likely to start smoking conventionally than their peers who do not use e-cigarettes.” Cigarettes use cigarettes.”
The report suggests that vaping could reverse some of the good progress made in recent years in significantly reducing tobacco smoking among children. Only 3 per cent of 15-year-olds are regular smokers, according to the latest NHS survey. This is a huge decline since 1996, when 22 percent of students smoked.
“E-cigarettes can undermine a great start to a smoking-free life,” says ANU researcher Professor Emily Banks.
Is this an introduction to smoking?
ASH discussed the “gateway” theory in a white paper entitled ” Understanding common myths about vapingwhich was reviewed by academics from institutions including Oxford University, University College London and Imperial College London.
It states: “If vaping were a gateway to smoking at the population level, the number of smokers vaping would be expected to slow or increase.” In England, smoking rates among children continued to fall at least as fast as before, which does not support the population-level gateway hypothesis.
NHS figures on current smoking rates among 11 to 15 year olds in England show they have fallen from 9 per cent in 2010 to 6 per cent in 2016 and 3 per cent in 2021.
Among those over 16 years of age, the proportion of smokers fell from 20 percent to 18 percent between 2010 and 2016 and to 12 percent in 2021.
However, ASH does not deny concerns about the gateway.
“It should not be ignored that vaping may be a route to smoking for some people, while vaping may be a route to smoking for others.” switch to cigarette smoking is possible, but the relationship works both ways… making it difficult to prove that vaping caused subsequent smoking,” the ASH review states.
“The theory that e-cigarettes are a gateway to smoking is supported by some peer-reviewed studies, but not others,” he continued.
But researchers are not only concerned about the increased likelihood of starting to smoke. There are also health risks associated with vaping itself, although these are far from clear.
What are the health consequences?
One thing is clear: puberty is a crucial period in human development, which means health problems associated with vaping may worsen.
And according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. government health agency, 99 percent of e-cigarettes contain nicotine, an addictive drug found in regular cigarettes, cigars and other tobacco products.
The brain continues to develop until about age 25, so nicotine use during adolescence can damage parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood, and impulse control. “
He continues: “Every time a new memory is created or a new skill is learned, stronger connections—or synapses—are created between brain cells. Young people’s brains build synapses faster than adults’. Nicotine changes the way these synapses form.”
“Nicotine use during adolescence may also increase the risk of future addiction to other drugs,” the CDC adds.
The CDC notes that “e-cigarette and cigarette use among teens is associated with mental health symptoms such as depression.”
ASH also disputes the findings that nicotine is harmful to children. It states: “Systematic reviews of the evidence have found that there is no or insufficient evidence on the effects of nicotine and non-nicotine e-cigarette use on child and adolescent development and neurological disorders.”
However, Deborah Arnott, chief executive of ASH, wants to see vaping among children decline.
She has been tracking e-cigarette use among children since 2013 “because it is a concern” and wants the government to take action to reduce e-cigarette use among them.
“ASH agrees with the Chief Medical Officer: “If you smoke, vaping is much safer; If you don’t smoke, don’t vape; Marketing e-cigarettes to children is completely unacceptable.” quit smoking.
In October, the government announced that e-cigarettes could be phased out for children and that e-cigarettes, like tobacco cigarettes, could be kept out of sight behind the counter, and made proposals to “make e-cigarettes more attractive and accessible”. for children.”reduce”.
The proposals are supported by a wide range of experts.
Meanwhile, other leading health groups are concerned about the health effects of vaping and reiterate that much is still unknown.
Cancer Research UK says: “There is no clear evidence that e-cigarettes cause cancer.”
“They can cause side effects such as throat and mouth irritation, headaches, coughing and nausea. These side effects tend to decrease over time with continued use. We don’t yet know what consequences this will have in the long term.
“E-cigarettes should only be used to help you quit smoking or prevent you from smoking again. Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is addictive. If you have never smoked, you should not use e-cigarettes.”
The British Heart Foundation added: “Nicotine is a problem for people with heart disease. This increases your heart rate, which defeats the purpose of most treatments.
“Just because e-cigarettes are less harmful than tobacco does not mean they are completely safe. We know that they contain significantly less harmful chemicals that can cause smoking-related diseases, but we still don’t know what long-term effects they have on the cardiovascular system or other aspects of health. “E-cigarettes and vaping should never be used by people who do not already smoke, but can be a useful tool in helping people quit smoking completely.”
Source: I News
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