Paediatricians call for ban on disposable vapes
Of Are Young In Disposable 'alarming' Vapes Ireland Numbers The People That Royal College Now Paediatrics Of At Physicians Warns Faculty The Using Of
TikTok and Instagram campaigns, coupled with the wide array of flavours and colours, make disposable vapes more desirable to young people, similar to unregulated tobacco campaigns of the past, leading paediatrics warn.
The Faculty of Paediatrics at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland has called for a ban on disposable vapes to protect the health and wellbeing of children and young people, as well as the environment.
The group has also called for the legal age to buy tobacco products and vapes to be raised from 18 to 21 years.
In a position paper published this Monday, the group warns that young people are now using disposable vapes in “alarming” numbers, and that their use poses serious health risks to them.
Young people using vapes are very likely to transition to traditional cigarette use, posing additional serious health harms from smoking, the paper warns.
Disposable vapes are also an environmental hazard, it warns, as due to their design recycling will always be labour-intensive and expensive. In addition to being a source of single-use plastic, their lithium batteries are a fire risk when not properly discarded.
“Exposure of children and adolescents to nicotine can lead to long-term negative impacts on brain development, as well as addiction,” said consultant in paediatric respiratory medicine Professor Des Cox.
“Nicotine, which is highly addictive, is the major psychoactive component of vaping solution.”
Potential negative health impacts of vapes include coughing, wheezing, and asthma exacerbations.
There is also a significant risk of dependence and neurotoxic effects on the not-fully-matured brain, according to Prof Cox.
“Doctors need to be equipped to speak to their patients about these ill effects and provide clear guidance,” he said.
The Faculty of Paediatrics strongly supports the introduction of legislation to ban disposable vapes, as recently signalled by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly.
Prof Cox has also met recently with minister of State Ossian Smyth to support his efforts to ban vapes on environmental grounds.
In its position paper, published today, the group has also called for:
- A ban on the use of flavours, apart from tobacco flavour, in vapes;
- Stronger legislation on the advertising and marketing of vapes, particularly the online marketing of these products;
- A ban on the sale of vapes to under-18-year-olds, under the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2023;
- Raising the legal age to buy tobacco products and vapes from 18 to 21 years.
According to the paper, digital marketing campaigns are currently disproportionately targeting young people.
“Clever campaigns on TikTok and Instagram, and the array of flavours and colours, are making disposable vapes more desirable to young people," said Prof Cox.
"It reminds me of the unregulated tobacco campaigns of the 1920s, '30s and '40s.”
“We must adopt stronger legislation on the advertising and marketing of vapes and ban the use of flavours, other than tobacco flavour. If something is causing environmental damage and has serious health impacts for our young people, it seems an obvious solution to ban disposable vapes entirely.”