Even electronic cigarettes can kill you

Electronic cigarettes have a bad impact on health. Efforts to limit the use of electronic cigarettes are increasingly being urged.

MEDSOS KOMPAS/ANTONIUS SULISTYO P

Residents consume electronic cigarettes in Jakarta, on Wednesday (30/8/2023). Users consume electronic cigarettes by inhaling liquid that has been heated using battery-based electric heaters. While conventional cigarettes produce smoke, electronic cigarettes produce vapor or aerosols.

The tobacco product epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) records that more than eight million people die every year from tobacco products. Of that number, as many as seven million deaths were due to direct tobacco use and the rest were caused by exposure to passive smoking.

The dangers of smoking occur in all forms of tobacco products. There is no safe level of tobacco exposure. This includes the use of electronic cigarettes. Apart from that, there is no evidence that using electronic cigarettes can be effective in helping someone stop smoking.

In fact, quite a few are dual-user smokers, which means conventional smoking as well as electronic smoking. The danger becomes even greater.

The danger of smoking can occur in all forms of tobacco products. There is no safe level of exposure to tobacco, including the use of electronic cigarettes.

Several scientific studies have shown the various dangers of consuming electronic cigarettes. Exposure to nicotine from electronic cigarettes during pregnancy can have negative impacts on fetal development.

Consumption of nicotine in children and teenagers can also have negative impacts on brain development. The effects can be long-term, eventually causing learning disorders and anxiety.

An epidemiological study reported by WHO also shows that the use of electronic cigarettes contributes to the increase in conventional cigarette use in the future, especially among teenagers. The risk of conventional cigarette use increases up to three times.

Electronic cigarettes can release toxic substances, including carcinogenic substances that can trigger cancer. Electronic cigarettes can also cause disruptions in the lungs as well as negative effects on the health of blood vessels and the heart.

Also read: Electric Cigarettes Contain Various Dangerous Ingredients

The lack of clear regulations on the use of electronic cigarettes allows users to choose from various types of e-cigarettes on the market. Users can choose products with high nicotine content or other harmful substances. Sometimes, the level of toxins in e-cigarettes can be higher than that of conventional cigarettes, including toxins from the produced vapor.

Research from The Johns Hopkins University on electronic cigarette materials published in October 2021 revealed the presence of thousands of chemicals in the product. Among the identified chemicals, hazardous substances were found, including pesticides and flavorings that have toxic and irritating effects on the respiratory tract.

In an article written on the Johns Hopkins Medicine website, Michael Blaha, Director of Clinical Research at the Johns Hopkins Center for Disease Prevention, stated that electronic cigarettes have the potential to be harmful to health. There is a relationship between chronic lung disease and asthma with electronic cigarettes.

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

A palace servant used an electric cigarette while waiting to play the gamelan during a wayang golek performance at the Srimanganti Bangsal of the Yogyakarta Palace, Yogyakarta, on Wednesday (1/3/2023). Electric cigarettes are just as harmful as conventional cigarettes because they contain many chemical compounds that have a negative impact on the body, some of which are carcinogenic or can trigger cancer.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified a new disease associated with lung injury from e-cigarettes. This disease, known as evali (lung injury related to e-cigarette products or vaping), has a high risk of causing death.

In addition, a connection has also been found between dual use of electronic and conventional cigarettes with cardiovascular disease. "(By using electronic cigarettes), you expose yourself to all kinds of chemicals that we do not yet understand and may not be safe," said Blaha.

Young age

The WHO defines electronic cigarettes as tobacco products used by heating method. The heated liquid will produce aerosols or vapors which are then inhaled by the user.

On the market, electronic cigarettes are also known as vape, e-liquid, e-cigarette, smart cigarette, mods, and pods i>. The use of electronic cigarette products is increasingly widespread in society, especially among young people.

Also read: Behind E-Cigarettes

The usage rate of electronic cigarettes among children aged 13-15 is higher compared to adults in all WHO regions. In Canada, the usage rate of electronic cigarettes among children aged 16-19 doubled in 2017-2022. In the UK, the number of electronic cigarette users has also tripled in the past three years.

The Ministry of Health's 2016 data shows that the prevalence of electronic cigarette users aged 10-18 is 1.2 percent. This number has increased to 10.9 percent in 2018. Most electronic cigarette users also use conventional cigarettes. The Basic Health Research 2018 mentions that electronic cigarette users who also consume conventional cigarettes is 96.7 percent.

WHO Director of Health Promotion Department, Rudiger Krech, said that efforts to control electronic cigarettes are becoming increasingly urgent to protect children and adolescents. Electronic cigarettes have been proven to have negative impacts on public health.

He stated that the tobacco industry has targeted children and teenagers as the market for electronic cigarettes. Therefore, urgent steps are needed to prevent the use of electronic cigarettes and to fight nicotine addiction in children and teenagers due to the consumption of electronic cigarettes.

”E-cigarettes target children through social media and influencers, with at least 16,000 flavors. "Some of these products use cartoon characters and have sleek designs so they are attractive to the younger generation," said Krech when appearing online at the ASEAN Regional Workshop in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday (15/5/2024).

Left behind

In response to the looming threat posed by the use of electronic cigarettes, several countries have rushed to tighten the use of such products. According to a report by the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control in 2023, at least 39 countries have already banned the sale of electronic cigarettes, including Argentina, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, South Korea, India, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Laos.

KOMPAS/DEONISIA ARLINTA

Signs prohibiting smoking, both conventional and electronic, are posted on a table at Jodd Fairs Night Market in Bangkok, Thailand on Monday (13/05/2024). Thailand is one of the countries that has implemented strict regulations regarding tobacco control.

In addition, there are 82 countries that still allow the sale of electronic cigarettes, but with regulations regarding the sale and distribution of these cigarettes. Of the 82 countries that allow the sale of electronic cigarettes, 38 countries have regulated the amount of nicotine in e-liquid. A total of four countries have also banned the use of flavorings in electronic cigarettes.

Also read: Young People Become Targets of Electric Cigarettes

Chairman of the Indonesian Health Policy Room (Rukki), Mouhamad Bigwanto, said that Indonesia is among the countries lagging behind in efforts to control electronic cigarettes. There is no strong regulation governing electronic cigarettes in Indonesia. In addition, there are no rules governing the behavior of the cigarette industry in selling and marketing electronic cigarettes.

"The problem now lies upstream. There is no strong regulation to regulate electronic cigarettes. If there is no firmness upstream, interventions downstream, such as education and health promotion, will not have an impact," he said.