Five Facts:
- E-cigarettes are not safe!
Electronic cigarettes are still cigarettes.
They do not contain tobacco, but they still contain nicotine, and numerous chemicals, additives, and flavors. We even do not always know which chemicals and for many of them we do not know their long-term effect on health. Yet, people inhale them.
E-cigarettes may look less dangerous, but they are not. When one uses an e-cigarette, one still inhales toxic vapes. Vapes that contain particles and chemicals that go down into the smallest airways and can be absorbed by the body. The chemicals, the additives, the nicotine are toxic and harmful.
Not just for the smoker but also for others as they can inhale the vapes as well, similar to secondhand smoking.
One example: in the US, there is documented evidence of an outbreak of lung injuries and deaths associated with vaping. In February 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed 2,807 cases of e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury (EVALI) – that is damage to the lungs - and 68 deaths attributed to that condition.
- E-cigarettes delivers nicotine
Nicotine is the primary agent in regular cigarettes and e-cigarettes, and it is highly addictive. It causes you to crave a smoke and suffer withdrawal symptoms if you ignore the craving. Nicotine is a toxic substance. It raises the blood pressure and spikes the adrenaline, which increases the heart rate and the likelihood of having a heart attack.
The consumption of nicotine in children and adolescents has important impacts on brain development and can potentially lead to learning and anxiety disorders. Yet, it is youngsters that are specifically targeted by the e-cigarette industry. Nicotine exposure in pregnant women can have similar consequences for the brain development of the fetus. Nicotine can also increase the risk of heart disease.
So, nicotine is not only addictive, it is also a health risk. And it is a major component of e-cigarettes
- E-cigarettes are as addictive as traditional cigarettes
Because both e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes contain nicotine, both are addictive.
Therefore, it is not a good idea to use e-cigarettes to kick-off from tobacco cigarettes, because both contain the same additive substance, nicotine. A smoker just switches from one addition to another. And as I mentioned, e-cigarettes are not a safe alternative.
Anti-tobacco campaigns have been quite successful in convincing people to kick the smoking habit. But now, e-cigarettes are often promoted as “reduced risk”, “smoke-free”, “socially acceptable” consumer products. They are marketed as being “cool”.
There is nothing “cool” about e-cigarettes. They are still addictive, bad for health and cause secondhand smoking.
But these promotional strategies have the potential to re-normalize smoking and drive long-term use of addictive nicotine products.
- A new generation is getting hooked
The e-cigarette industry has launched an aggressive multimillion marketing campaign that leans heavily on social media, concerts, and sporting events to encourage young people to pick up a deadly habit. Let’s not forget that tobacco kills 8 million people a year globally. Media colleagues can help expose these tactics. Tactics that try to mislead people, and especially youngsters, and that try to convince them that to be cool, you have to smoke an e-cigarette. Just like the tobacco industry did half a century ago. Media can help in raising public awareness around the dangers of e-cigarettes.
In Thailand, according to the Global School-based Student Health Survey, the use of e-cigarettes among school children (aged 13 - 15 years) in Thailand has increased in recent years from 3.3% in 2015 to 8.1% in 2021. This is among children 13-15 years old!
E-cigarettes pose a threat to Thailand’s tobacco control efforts and can reverse gains made on tobacco control over many decades. Not only will children who are using these products become addicted to nicotine, they are also up to three times more likely to use tobacco products in the future.
- E-cigarettes need to be regulated
E-cigarettes are currently banned in over 30 countries worldwide, such as in Thailand. In other countries they are regulated as consumer products, as pharmaceutical products, as tobacco products, other categories or totally unregulated.
At the same time, we need to monitor what is going on, especially on online sale and other channels of supply. And we must strengthen law enforcement. The laws are there. Being lax does not get us anywhere.
WHO strongly supports the current efforts of Thailand on the ban on importation or sale of e-cigarettes. This reflects Thailand’s strong commitment towards protecting people in the country, particularly youth, from the harms of tobacco use as well as fulfilling Thailand’s obligations under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
WHO remains committed to provide full support to Thailand's efforts in curbing the use of all tobacco products and protecting the present and future generations from tobacco use and other non-communicable diseases.