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- BBC News World
27 July 2022, 10:02 GMT
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They were promoted under the argument that they would be less harmful to health and that they would serve as a treatment for people who wanted to quit smoking.
However, electronic cigarettes are not only as addictive as tobacco, but also more and more teenagers are getting hooked on smoking.
“Every time I receive in my office more young people between 16 and 24 years old who use this product and have a level of nicotine in the body equivalent to the consumption of more than 20 cigarettes a day,” explains the cardiologist Jacqueline Scholz, who directs the Ambulatory of the Treatment of Tobacco Addiction of the São Paulo Heart Institute.
These products “are often targeted at children and adolescents in the promotions of the tobacco and related industries that manufacture them, through thousands of attractive aromas and misleading claims,” says the World Health Organization (WHO) in its latest published report in 2021.
children who vape, What is the use of these devices called? are up to three times more likely to end up smoking in the futureaccording to the international body, which recommends that governments regulate them to prevent smoking from returning to normal in society and to protect future generations.
The sale or distribution of electronic cigarettes is banned in 37 countriesincluding Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Uruguay, Venezuela and Brazil.
But this does not prevent these products from being smuggled in and without any health control.
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Electronic cigarettes are offered in a multitude of flavors that appeal to young people and teenagers.
“If we don’t deal with this problem now, the use of these devices has everything to soon become an epidemic“, Scholz told André Biernath, of the BBC’s Brazilian service.
The cardiologist points out that, since the appearance of the first versions regarding 20 years ago, these devices have always been promoted under the argument that they are less harmful to health.
“It is still said that, since they do not have combustion and do not produce smoke, these devices are supposedly safer,” he explains.
The expert recalls that this information served as the basis for selling electronic cigarettes in many countries as a kind of “harm reduction” or treatment for people who wanted to quit smoking.
Wolf with sheep’s skin?
The big problem, he argues, is that there aren’t enough scientific studies to back up such claims, and all the related to these products seems to be more focused on winning over new users (especially young ones), and virtually ignores this possible therapeutic bias.
“Several countries, like the UK itself, accepted this argument and launched e-cigarettes. What happened in these places was a increased prevalence of smokers Scholz points out.
For the doctor, it makes no sense to see the electronic cigarette as a medical treatment and leave it only in the hands of people, so that they decide when and how to use it. “If the purpose of this product was really therapeutic, it might not be sold anywhere, as it is sold now.”
“It would have to be prescribed following a medical evaluation, in which the professional would conclude that the patient cannot stop smoking with the other methods we have to offer. From there, the correct dosage and use of this medication might be indicated.” substance. “.
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Electronic cigarettes can cause respiratory spasms and even inflammatory diseases in the lungs.
harmful ingredients
Scholz points out that, in addition to failing to deliver on therapeutic promises, e-cigarettes can go the other way and be harmful to health, drawing attention to three of the main ingredients found in these devices: propylene glycol, nicotine, and aromatics.
The propylene glycol It works as a kind of vehicle, capable of diluting and transporting nicotine through our body.
The nicotinefor its part, is a psychoactive substance that is originally found in tobacco, which causes a very strong dependence.
During the use of electronic cigarettes, it is inhaled through the mouth, passes through the lungs, falls into the bloodstream and ends up in the brain, where it causes a momentary feeling of well-being.
Lastly, there are the aromatic substanceswhich imitate the most diverse odors, from mint to custard.
Scholz points out that these three ingredients can pose health risks in different ways.
“For starters, odors make these devices more socially acceptable. After all, the smell of mint, honey or strawberry is much more pleasant than conventional cigarettes.”
And that attribute, the doctor argues, increases curiosity and removes fear in a younger public, who since childhood have been used to hearing regarding the harmful effects of “traditional” smoking.
“Propylene glycol, on the other hand, is widely used in the food industry, and people just assumed that since it’s safe to consume in food, it won’t do any harm when inhaled,” he says.
“But we don’t have enough studies in this regard, especially since these devices today have so many additives that we do not have an exact idea of the chemical reactions that take place thereat a high temperature “.
“And we’ve already seen some studies that have detected carcinogenic substances in the bladder and urine of electronic cigarette users,” adds the specialist.
To close the list, we cannot forget nicotine.
Dependence
“The new generations of electronic cigarettes bring nicotine salts that are smaller and smaller and delivered in larger quantities, which increases dependence,” says Scholz.
The doctor assures that, when receiving a new patient who consumes these devices in the office, she always performs a quick urine test, which measures the amount of nicotine that the individual has in the body.
“It is very common for young patients, ages 16 to 24, to have a nicotine level equivalent to smoking more than 20 conventional cigarettes a day“, he calculates.
image source, Getty Images
E-cigarettes are often targeted at children and adolescents with enticing aromas and misleading claims according to the WHO.
In fact, the very mechanism of these devices facilitates their constant use. In addition to not having any unpleasant smell, it does not need to be switched on or off. “This is a product that you can use over and over once more. You put it in your pocket, take a hit and put it away. Then you can come back to it whenever you want,” explains Scholz.
“This creates a routineand the person starts using electronic cigarettes on the street, at work, in the bathroom at school, lying in bed…”
In addition to being addictive, nicotine also has effects on important organs like the heart and lungs.
“Nicotine is not a harmless substance. Increases heart rate, alters blood pressure, and can damage the endotheliumthe inner layer of blood vessels,” he lists.
“Therefore, the cardiac risk of an e-cigarette user is regarding the same as someone who smokes conventional cigarettes.”
“In the lungs, nicotine nanoparticles can enter the alveoli, cause respiratory spasms and even inflammatory diseases“, adds the doctor.
“A few years ago we had a series of cases of this type, especially in the United States, which drew attention. Some of these patients used other substances, but regarding a third used exclusively nicotine.”
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