Long use of e-cigarettes may lead to drug addiction, say health experts

Expressing concern over rising use of e-cigarettes among youths, health experts on Wednesday warned that practising such vaping methods may lead to addiction to drugs like cocaine and nicotine.

'Mothers Against Vaping' (MAV), a platform of concerned mothers combatting vaping among youths, cited several studies and said these devices harbour around 900-2,000 chemicals and can penetrate deep into the lungs, causing extensive and detrimental respiratory damage.

"There exists a looming threat of an entire generation becoming addicted to these new-age tobacco devices, posing a significant risk to their health and well-being," Gauhati Medical College and Hospital Superintendent Dr Abhijit Sarma told PTI.

It is imperative to take urgent comprehensive action to prevent the emergence of a new generation of e-cigarette smokers, he added.

"Alongside this concerning trend, another issue is that these devices become gateway devices to more serious addictions like using cocaine and nicotine," Dr Sarma said.

Guwahati-based Health City Hospital's Paediatric and Congenital Heart Surgeon Dr Nayem Raja said that vaping among children has emerged as a significant concern globally and led to its ban in various countries, including India.

"The detrimental health impact on children due to vaping and e-cigarette use is a cause for serious alarm. Continued use of these devices, fuelled by targeted efforts of the international tobacco companies, poses irreversible health risks," he added.

Dr Raja, who had earlier worked in The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, said that addressing this issue demands a collective global response, necessitating collaboration among stakeholders such as parents, schools and healthcare experts.

These medical practitioners warned that e-cigarettes and other similar devices contain many unidentified and as well as known components, of which several are hazardous with wide-ranging health-damaging potential.

The MAV pointed out that the World Health Organisation (WHO) strongly advocates the prohibition of vaping and other new-age gateway devices in schools due to the international tobacco industry's persistent efforts to target young individuals.

Referring to a 2023 study by the Center for Tobacco Research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Southern California Keck School of Medicine, the MAV said alarming respiratory problems can afflict youths within 30 days of using e-cigarettes.

Apart from e-cigarettes, youths are getting addicted to other such products like Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) and heat-not-burn (HNB).

The MAV has blamed global tobacco companies for targeting children with their devices to create a new and rapidly expandable customer base.

"These modern and sleek products, which have a fashion element to them, have gained increased accessibility and affordability, despite lacking essential health warnings and posing significant health risks," it added.

The MAV stressed many recent studies have revealed that aerosols from modern devices like e-cigarettes, ENDS, HNB and e-hookahs contain harmful particulates associated with lung inflammation, DNA damage with possible risk of lung cancer.