"Health Concerns Mount: Experts Issue Alerts Regarding Potential Permanent Damage to Children's Health Due to Vaping"

In recent years, the use of vaping products has become increasingly prevalent, especially among young people in Europe. According to a survey, 22% of 15 and 16-year-olds in Europe now vape regularly, up from 14% five years earlier. This trend is concerning, as researchers have serious concerns about the long-term effects of vaping.

Heated e-liquids can release harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, known carcinogens. Increasing evidence shows that e-cigarettes and vapes are linked to cardiovascular problems, lung damage, and an increased risk of cancer.

Despite bans on the sales of vaping products in some countries, such as Norway, young people can easily purchase them online. In the European Union, regulators have limited nicotine concentrations and banned marketing targeted at minors, but enforcement is patchy.

Cigarette smoking is ticking upwards again in parallel with the rise in vaping. This is particularly concerning, as vaping could create a new generation of nicotine addicts, particularly affecting children and teenagers. Nicotine, the addictive component in vaping, is particularly damaging to adolescents as it can alter the developing brain, affecting memory, learning, and attention.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that e-cigarettes are not an effective quitting tool compared to existing nicotine replacement therapies. In fact, starting to vape is likened to a bridge or a gateway to smoking real cigarettes.

The WHO released a report in 2023 urging countries to treat e-cigarettes as harmful products. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for the sales policy of flavored electronic cigarettes despite repeated requests from health authorities for tighter regulations.

In the United States, flavored e-cigarettes remain widely available despite repeated calls for tighter restrictions. The US Surgeon General has issued a warning about the risks associated with nicotine in vaping.

Professor Maja-Lisa Løchen, a senior cardiologist, stated that e-cigarettes are not a harmless product based on the available research. She also stated that this epidemic of vaping is being led and organized by the nicotine industry. The tobacco industry markets aggressively to children with sweet flavors and exciting designs, according to Professor Løchen.

Education is seen as key in addressing the vaping issue. Schools, parents, and communities all have a role to play in dispelling the myth of vaping as harmless. Health risks associated with vaping are still emerging, making it crucial for everyone to stay informed and vigilant.

One million people in England who never regularly smoked are now vaping. A major paper in the New England Journal of Medicine suggested that vaping raises the risk of stroke by almost a third (32%). This underscores the importance of addressing the rise in vaping and taking steps to protect public health.

In Norway, the use of vaping among young people has risen from virtually zero to around 11% in just four years, despite a ban on domestic sales. This highlights the need for stronger regulations and enforcement, as well as education and prevention efforts, to combat the rising tide of vaping among young people.