Electronic cigarettes are sure to be harmful to both vapers and those exposed to their fumes, which can cause harm to fetuses and the brains of adolescents, warned in a report the World Health Organization (WHO) .
"There is no doubt that they are dangerous for health", concluded this specialized agency of the UN, while stressing that "it is too early to provide a clear answer on the long term impact of their use or exposure to them ”.
Increased risks for adolescents
In its report on these electronic cigarettes which it released earlier this week in the form of Q&A, WHO notes in this regard that there is not enough evidence that they help tobacco users. to quit smoking. Vapors are even more likely to smoke conventional cigarettes, she notes.
These devices "are particularly risky" for adolescents, continued the WHO, whose warnings are stronger than those it had originally launched in 2019. "Nicotine is highly addictive and the brains of young people develop until about their 25th year, ”she warned in this document, emphasizing the“ long-term harmful effects ”linked to exposure to this substance most often found in electronic cigarettes. These create "significant risks for pregnant women because they can alter the development of the fetus," writes the WHO.
Vaping also increases the risk of contracting heart disease or being a victim of pulmonary complications, she continues. Electronic cigarettes "put their users and those who do not use them at risk", assures this organization, which requires in particular that their use be firmly supervised with in particular a ban on selling them and using them in confined workplaces as well as in public spaces.
Presence of toxic substances
Exposure to the fumes coming from these devices is also dangerous, with the presence of "toxic substances, including glycol, which is used in the manufacture of antifreeze".
The WHO report has angered some experts, starting with Peter Hajek, the head of the Tobacco Addiction Research Unit at Queen Mary University in London, who saw it as "militancy against vaping "and many errors. Its authors "should take responsibility for using blatant misinformation to prevent smokers from switching to a much less risky option", namely electronic cigarettes, he said.
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