WHO report tackles e-cigarette threat: dangers and need for stricter regulation

Electronic cigarettes and similar products are dangerous to health and must be regulated to nip tobacco industry tactics to attract customers, warned the World Health Organization (WHO). Many countries are making progress in tobacco control, but a new WHO report shows some are not addressing or regulating new nicotine and tobacco products.

The number of people protected by at least one WHO-recommended tobacco control measure has quadrupled from 2007, according to data from the organization. However, it is necessary tackle the threats of new nicotine and tobacco products

For the first time, the 2021 report presents data on electronic nicotine delivery systems, such as Electronic cigarettes. These products they are frequently aimed at children and adolescents in promotions of tobacco and related industries that manufacture them, through thousands of attractive scents and misleading claims.

WHO notes with concern that children who use such products are up to three times more likely to use tobacco products in the future. The Organization recommends that governments implement regulations to prevent non-smokers from using such products, to prevent smoking from returning to normal in society and to protect future generations.

“Nicotine is extremely addictive. Electronic nicotine delivery systems are harmful and need to be better regulated ”, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “If not banned, governments should adopt appropriate policies to protect their populations from harm caused by electronic nicotine delivery systems. and prevent children, adolescents and other vulnerable groups from using them ”.

Currently, the sale of electronic nicotine delivery systems (SEANs) is banned in 32 countries. Others 79 countries have adopted at least one partial measure to prohibit the use of these products in public places, to limit associated advertising, promotion and sponsorship, or to require health warnings on packaging. It means that in 84 countries, the ENDS are in no way regulated or restricted.

Most high-income countries (78%) regulate ENS and 7% prohibit their sale without any further regulation. 40% of middle-income countries regulate ENDS and 10% have banned their sale without any further regulation, which means that half of middle-income countries do not regulate NDTs or prohibit their sale. In the case of low-income countries, however, this percentage rises to 76%.

Michael R. Bloomberg, WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injury and Founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies, observed that “over a billion people around the world still smoke. Yes As cigarette sales have fallen, tobacco companies are aggressively marketing new products, such as electronic cigarettes. and lobby governments to limit their regulation. Their goal is very clear: to hook another generation to nicotine. We cannot allow it ”.

Dr Rüdiger Krech, director of the WHO Department of Health Promotion, highlighted the challenges of regulating these products. “These are products that present a great diversity and which evolve rapidly. They can be changed by the user in some cases, making it difficult to regulate nicotine concentration and risk levels. Others are marketed as “nicotine free” products, but when tested they are often found to contain this addicting ingredient. Distinguishing between nicotine products and non-nicotine products, or even certain products containing tobacco, can be a near impossible endeavor. This is just one of the ways the industry distorts and undermines tobacco control measures. “

The proportion of people who use tobacco has declined in most countries, but due to population growth, the total number of people who smoke has remained stubbornly high. Currently, of the estimated billion smokers, around 80% live in low- and middle-income countries. Tobacco kills 8 million people a year, including 1 million from second-hand smoke.

This eighth WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic presented today summarizes national initiatives to implement the most effective demand reduction measures of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. (WHO FCTC) which aim to reduce tobacco consumption. They are known with the name of plan of measures POWERFUL. It has six strategies tobacco control measures in accordance with the WHO Framework Convention, namely:

-Monitoring of tobacco consumption and prevention policies

-Protect the population from tobacco smoke

-Offer help to quit smoking

-Warning of the dangers of tobacco

-Apply bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship

-Increase taxes on tobacco

The health dangers of electronic cigarettes

According to Mayo Clinic lElectronic cigarettes are battery-powered devices that heat a liquid solution (which usually contains nicotine, but not always) and turn it into a vapor that can be inhaled. They are sometimes referred to as electronic cigarettes, electronic vaporizers, or electronic nicotine delivery systems. The use of electronic cigarettes is known as vaping.

Some electronic cigarettes look like traditional cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. Others, on the other hand, look like pens, flash memories, or have a completely different design. Electronic cigarettes can be thrown away or recharged. Most people use a cartridge, called a “pod” when it is disposable, or it has a refillable reservoir that holds the liquid or e-juice. This liquid generally contains nicotine, flavors, propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin.

In early October 2019, the Food and Drug Administration linked the cases to vaping products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive component of marijuana, and has issued a public warning to avoid such products. FDA researchers began taking samples of THC spray liquids and found that half of it contained vitamin E acetate, a substance used commercially to thicken skin creams. Its effects after inhalation have not been tested.

At the CDC, a research team studied lung fluid samples from 51 patients and found vitamin E acetate in 48 of them. “It helped us connect all the dots between what was in the product and what was in people’s bodies,” says epidemiologist Brian King, who helped lead the team. emergency response agency and co-authored a report on the findings of the New England Journal of Medicine.

EVALI is one of at least three diseases caused by vaping and electronic cigarettes. The scarring of the tiny air sacs in the lungs, commonly known as the popcorn lung, has been attributed to the vaporization of liquids containing diacetyl, a flavor that was previously added to popcorn. Nicotine vapors are associated with a type of pneumonia. “A lot of people think vaping in general is safe, but thousands of chemicals are added to give it flavor, mouth feel, the appearance of the expired cloud.“Says Crotty Alexander,” and the dangers of many additives are unknown.

Data published in a report in American scientist report that about 20% of high school students in the United States report using some type of e-cigarette or vaping device, up from 27.5% in 2019. The drop likely reflects federal regulatory measures, including raising the minimum age for purchasing tobacco products from 18 to 21 and banning fruit and candy-flavored cartridges that appeal to younger users.. But THC vaporizers are more difficult to regulate, as most are made by small informal producers, either legally or illegally.

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