It is becoming clearer by the day that e-cigarettes are a threat to public health.
These hand-held, battery powered devices mimic cigarettes by delivering a dose of nicotine-containing vapour.
It has been argued by e-cigarette manufacturers that their product is safe, because the vapour does not contain the unburnt fragments of tobacco leaves that cigarette smoke does. Inhaling those fragments damages lung tissues, and might lead to cancer or respiratory diseases like emphysema.
Indeed; the company that controls 75 per cent of the e-cigarette market 鈥� Juul Labs Inc. 鈥� claims its mission is 鈥渢o improve the lives of the world鈥檚 one billion smokers.鈥�
So where is the evidence of harm? Authorities in the U.S., where e-cigarettes have been legal for some time, are reporting a rising tide of lung damage traced to these products.
There have been 530 confirmed cases so far, and seven deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in that country say those numbers are expected to increase, as hospitals learn to spot the symptoms associated with vaping.
The causes are not yet fully understood, but it鈥檚 believed counterfeit or street versions of e-cigarettes are involved. Some聽black marketers are boosting their merchandise with cannabis oil.
However, oils of this sort do not vaporize properly, meaning the user鈥檚 lungs are clogged with the stuff. And that can lead to pneumonia, permanent lung damage and even death.
Since sa国际传媒 has been slower in legalizing this product, most public-health officers report they鈥檙e not yet seeing these symptoms. But Dr. Bonnie Henry, sa国际传媒鈥檚 provincial health officer, says it鈥檚 just a matter of time.
And indeed, two weeks ago, a teen from London, Ont. was temporarily placed on life support with severe pulmonary illness believed to be caused by vaping. Two additional cases are suspected in that province, and one in sa国际传媒
Moreover, since these products can be bought on the street, or through the internet, it will be a challenge to enforce safety regulations.
Is it fair to blame manufacturers if their products are adulterated by black marketers?
Well let鈥檚 consider their motives. Juul Labs was producing sweetened varieties, a clear attempt to recruit youngsters, until the U.S. government cracked down.
In addition, the tobacco industry, which is financing this new product, has a long history of misleading advertising and outright manipulation of customers.
For years, tobacco firms quietly laced their cigarettes with enhanced levels of nicotine, the objective being to increase addiction, and thereby jack up sales. These are not the kind of people we should trust with our children鈥檚 health.
There is also the reality that because this product contains nicotine, it is every bit as addictive as traditional cigarettes. Juul Labs might say their objective is to give tobacco smokers a less hazardous alternative.
But just as readily, they are promoting an addictive substance with special appeal to young adults. It will be an irony if, after decades of encouraging people to give up cigarette smoking, all the hard work is wiped out by the arrival of a product every bit as habit-forming.
So what can be done? Certainly, we need our hospital system to be on the lookout for the kind of lung symptoms reported in the U.S.
But we also need a public information campaign to warn teenage users, and in particular their parents, of the dangers that e-cigarettes involve.
If Health sa国际传媒 had a clue, it would already have embarked on this path. Regrettably, it has not.
After a coalition of eight health organizations called for the department to strengthen its regulations, the minister responsible, Ginette Petitpas Taylor, said she would consider stiffening regulations, but had not committed to any changes.
We know what that means. This is the same department that helped lay the groundwork for a marijuana-smoking epidemic soon to appear.
History will take note of these self-inflicted injuries and our children will bear the scars.
