When Suresh Sharma (name changed to protect privacy) went for a school trip to the hills, he bought an e-cigarette from a local store. It was both amusing and daring for the kids in his Class IX batch. Luckily for him, there were some kids on the excursion who weren’t afraid of being ‘uncool’, who pointed out that these too had nicotine and could land them in big trouble.
E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices that deliver nicotine, flavour and other chemical additives by turning them into an aerosol inhaled by the user. Introduced in 2003, in China, to wean smokers off the habit, “scientists mostly from developing nations, like India, are worried that it may undo the decades of work tobacco regulation has done,” explains Dr Manu Raj Mathur, senior research scientist and associate professor, Public Health Foundation of India, Gurugram. Experts at home cite the reasons for concern and for the Central Government’s likely ban on the sale of e-cigarettes.
It can be a gateway drug
“There’s danger that it may lead non-smokers and kids to use tobacco, current smokers to be dual users and former smokers to relapse,” says Dr Mathur. Adolescents are particularly vulnerable: studies show that youth are more susceptible to nicotine addiction and early exposure is linked with severity of nicotine dependency.
Descriptions on e-liquids (the fluid for refill) sound suspiciously like they’re luring young users, with flavours like gummy bears, vanilla, liquorice, coffee. “…Crisp apples and tangy cranberries… create a bittersweet symphony of flavourful vapour clouds,” says one. Nicotine, present in varying levels and strengths in e-cigarettes, is highly addictive. In fact, the US Surgeon-General in 2010 warned that nicotine is as addictive as cocaine and heroin. (This explains why smokers find it so hard to quit despite understanding the hazards.)
It is unregulated
These don’t contain tobacco, so they do not fall within the purview of COTPA (Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act) which mandates health warnings on packaging, prohibits advertisement and regulates the production, supply and sale of tobacco products in India. E-cigarettes are sold freely. Plus, they are being increasingly imported. There are no clear public health warnings related to nicotine on the product. Rather, there’s an overwhelming emphasis on ‘satisfaction’, minus the harmful effects of smoke, tar and ash from conventional cigarettes. There’s no rule pertaining to vaping in public spaces, which can potentially ‘re-normalise’ smoking.
It poses health risks
“Nicotine is not just addictive; it adversely affects your heart, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, immune system and reproductive health,” says Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, Professor and Head and Neck cancer surgeon at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai. It is particularly bad for the heart. Nicotine raises blood pressure, causing your arteries to narrow, which can, over time, lead to cardiovascular disease. And we haven’t spoken about its carcinogenic effects yet: “It affects cell proliferation, oxidative stress, DNA mutations, tumour proliferation and even causes resistance to chemo and radio therapeutic agents,” he says.
“Besides, e-cigarettes may pose threat of nicotine poisoning — especially from ingesting the liquid,” adds Dr Chaturvedi. They also expose the user to several other toxic and carcinogenic chemicals, such as carbonyl compounds and volatile organic compounds, the effects of which are still being researched. The bottomline: avoid them completely.
More importantly, make your children aware of their dangers.
