According to a leading health expert, the claim that vaping is 95% safer than smoking has backfired and encouraged some kids to start vaping.
Dr. Mike McKean, vice president for policy at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, treats kids with lung conditions.
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 notes that just a small number of children are suffering from it seriously and that serious issues are unusual, it might be quite dangerous for you.
Only those who are addicted to cigarettes should use vaping as a tool.
The 95% safe messaging was “a very unwise thing to have done and it’s opened the door to significant chaos,” he said, according to his statement.
He asserts that the “switch to vape” campaign’s unintended encouragement of youth e-cigarette use.
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 believe we have disregarded children and young people by sort of accepting something almost too much without the genuine appropriate consideration. It seems as though we have declared that this is the best approach to deal with cigarette smoking and put all of our eggs in one basket.
The recommendations were based on the literature that was available at the time and what was known about the items’ composition, according to Prof. Ann McNeil, one of the co-authors of the first 2015 report, who spoke to the BBC.
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.
Doctors, public health experts, cancer organizations, and governments in the UK all agree that e-cigarettes only carry a small part of the risk associated with cigarettes based on the research that is currently available.
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 carries some risks, particularly for nonsmokers. The long-term effects or risks of vaping are not known and need to be researched. The possible effects of flavorings on health hazards are unknown.
The risk and intensity of nicotine dependence associated with vaping are lower than those associated with smoking, notwithstanding product variations. 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.
More than one in ten people between the ages of 16 and 24 reported using marijuana daily or occasionally in 2022, according to a survey by the Office for National Statistics.
Despite the fact that vapes don’t contain the same hazardous chemicals as cigarettes, they nonetheless produce an addictive nicotine high. Some teen drug users assert that they are addicted. The BBC has been investigating the practice of teen vaping; recent testing on illegal vapes seized from a school indicated unsafe levels of metals that might be inhaled by minors.
I’ll take a few puffs before I go to sleep, a teen vaper says.
Is vaping a risk-free choice?
Illegal vapes have high levels of lead and nickel.
As vaping 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 vaping 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.
In the UK, the prevalence of smoking among adults and children has steadily decreased both before and after the legalization of e-cigarettes. 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.