- Smoking is related to the death of 8 million people annually.
- The age of first contact of children with tobacco is at 10 years and with vapers at 12.
- Electronic devices are more dangerous because in addition to nicotine they also contain volatile organic compounds, heavy metals, ultrafine particles, flavorings and dyes.
Smoking has been around for hundreds of years and to date it is one of the most dangerous addictions in the world. To date, it is estimated that it is the cause of eight million deaths a year and also decreases the quality of life of more inhabitants. While recently there have been vapers that are more dangerous than cigarettes and they already represent a new public health challenge.
In the world there are approximately 1.1 billion tobacco users. In Mexico alone, about 15 million adults smoke and six percent of adolescents.
With this context, it has not yet been possible to solve the problem of tobacco consumption, but now vapers and electronic cigarettes are added because they are more dangerous than conventional modalities.
Alternative aimed at young people and adolescents
In this regard, Ana Beatriz Moreno Coutiño and Guadalupe Ponciano Rodríguez, academics from the faculties of Psychology and Medicine at UNAM, respectively, warned that the vaping and e-cigarette campaigns have targeted teensa vulnerable and attractive population for that market.
The issue is particularly serious since in the Mexican population between the ages of 12 and 65, 975,000 people use vapers or electronic cigarettes, and five million have used them at some time, according to a survey by the National Commission against Addictions (2022).
The experts mentioned that the age of first contact of children with tobacco is 10 years. With electronic cigarettes, the pattern is similar and from the age of 12 they begin their consumption, which contain nicotine and other substances -such as cannabinoids-, in addition to being easily accessible, because they are obtained in street stalls, in vending machines located in shopping centers and even on food delivery platforms. That is, they arrive at the door of your house, even though they are illegal in our country.
Ana Moreno also estimated that the cost is low: from 180 to 270 pesos, which allows a minor to obtain it with some ease; With the variety of flavors, sweet and perfumed smell, as well as various forms, including pen or USB memory, consumers fail to perceive the danger that its use implies.
Why are vapers more dangerous than cigarettes?
The “vapor” that comes out of an electronic cigarette is actually an aerosol that contains substances such as propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, which increase irritation of the respiratory tract. Also, formaldehyde, a cancer-causing substance that can form if the so-called e-liquid is overheated.
“We are facing an unethical industry that includes new substances to find out the impact they have on the market. They are chemicals that emulate the activity of cannabinoids, and those who consume them are testing chemicals that “look like”, are “guinea pigs of extremely cheap products that come mainly from China”.
Health alert published by Cofepris
Given this situation, he recalled that just a few days ago the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris) issued a maximum health alert in our country. The intention is to make the problem more visible and people to know more about these products because the inhalation of an excipient frequently found in vaping devices, called vitamin E acetate, constitutes a high health risk related to acute respiratory diseases. and even death.
Moreno Coutiño mentioned that emotional dysregulation is the main factor associated with “consumption hooking”, that is, those who experience anxiety, depression and stress, or lack pleasant and stimulating activities or personal challenges, and those who have an absence of personal figures. of emotional support. So one way to prevent the problem is to do sports, artistic, intellectual activities or hobbies; have tutors present, who provide accompaniment and surveillance; and serving others, among other actions.
Guadalupe Ponciano Rodríguez, attached to the Department of Public Health of the FM and coordinator of the Tobacco Research and Prevention Program, said that the new products of the industry are divided into electronic systems for the administration of nicotine (electronic cigarettes, vapers, pods) ; similar systems without nicotine; and alternatives for nicotine consumption, such as hybrid cigarettes.
A cigarette has one milligram of nicotine, he exemplified; pods up to 60 milligrams, that is, the equivalent of three packs. People don’t know how much nicotine they put into their system. Meanwhile, in aerosols there are also volatile organic compounds, heavy metals, ultrafine particles, flavorings and colorants, that is, a large number of toxic substances that are harmful to health and that pollute the environment.
There is scientific evidence that electronic nicotine delivery systems affect the respiratory, cardiovascular, and reproductive systems, in addition to the oral cavity; They cause damage during pregnancy, such as an increased risk of congenital malformations. There is also a large number of associated tumors.