Gold Coast Private Hospital’s Dr Anu Siriwardana says e-cigarettes luring youths, liquids may be toxic and cause long term damage
Doctors have warned that Gold Coast teens are taking part in life-threatening behaviour, thinking it’s safe.
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GOLD Coast youths lured into vaping by glamorised advertising are being warned that fruity flavourings are potentially toxic when inhaled and can cause long-term health problems.
It comes as high schools clamp down on the use of e-cigarettes, locking toilets during class time or shutting toilets permanently so fewer areas exist for students to vape at school.
Coming in bright colours and different shapes, and with a variety of fruity flavours, e-cigarettes are increasingly attractive to youths who think that vaping is just breathing in flavoured air and that the dangers of smoking are eliminated because tobacco is not involved.
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But Dr Anu Siriwardana, a respiratory physician at Gold Coast Private Hospital, said the liquids sold for use in the devices were not regulated or advertised correctly.
“We’re not sure of exactly what harmful liquids are being sold for these e-cigarettes or the effects of them when they are inhaled into lungs,” he said.
“Although many companies say there’s no nicotine in them, we’re not 100 per cent sure this is the case. And if there is, then down the track, sadly, this may lead to nicotine addiction.
“There could also be damaging effects on the brain and lungs from inhaling certain liquids. They could even be cancer causing.”
Dr Siriwardana urged parents to have a two-way conversation with children, the earlier the better, to discuss the harmful effects of vaping and discourage the practice.
He also warns adults against using e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid, saying no long-term studies had been done in regards to their respiratory effects.
Despite a decrease in the prevalence of smoking, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare stats reveal a sharp increase in the use of e-cigarettes.
For people aged 14 and over, in 2019, almost 39 per cent of smokers had tried e-cigarettes, up from 31 per cent in 2016. There were also significant increases in the lifetime use of e-cigarettes across most age groups between 2016 and 2019, in particular for those aged 18–24, from 19.2 per cent in 2016 to 26 per cent in 2019.
Nearly one in four people who tried e-cigarettes, 23 per cent, considered themselves to be a “never smoker” at that time. Higher proportions of younger people reported being a never smoker, 65 per cent of 14–17 year olds and 39 per cent of 18–24 year olds.
Flavoured e-liquids and associated devices are widely available in Australia to anyone aged 18 and over, either online or at tobacco shops.
The Lung Foundation Australia wants the federal government to take action to address the increasing use of unregulated flavoured e-cigarettes among youths.
“It is not safe to assume that because a chemical flavouring is used in food or soap, it is safe to inhale. Young people need, and deserve, trusted information to be available to them,” foundation chief executive Mark Brooke said.
“No one’s lungs should be compromised by exposure to unknown and untested aerosols.”
He said a study done by Curtin University and Telethon Kids Institute Research tested 52 e-liquids and found that none had a completely accurate ingredient list and that 21 per cent contained nicotine, despite it being illegal to sell e-liquids containing nicotine in Australia.
In addition, more than 60 per cent contained chemicals likely to be toxic if vaped repeatedly.
Mr Brooke said along with restricting availability through higher taxes and more stringent regulations, the foundation wanted plain packaging of all flavoured e-liquids, raising the age of access to 21 and investment in further research to fully understand health and social impacts.
Consumers Health Forum’s youth advocate Jahin Tanvir said vaping dangers were becoming a great concern for impressionable teenagers who were dealing with growth issues such as finding their identity and mental health.
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