Paediatricians are urging the UK government to ban all disposable electronic cigarette products (vapes) because of concerns about children’s health and the environment.
Although long term studies on e-cigarettes are not yet available because vapes have been on sale in the UK since only 2007, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has said that the unprecedented rise in vaping could lead to serious health consequences in years to come.
Recent NHS data show that one in five 15 year olds used e-cigarettes in 2021, and vaping by 11-15 year olds has risen from 6% in 2018 to 9% in 2021. The most popular disposable vape can be bought for as little as £2.99.
Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive and can harm brain development in children,1 but even vapes with no nicotine can contain harmful substances. Vapes previously confiscated in UK schools, which were mainly illegal and therefore untested, have been found to contain unsafe amounts of lead and nickel.2
Mike McKean, RCPCH vice president of policy and a paediatric respiratory consultant, said, “Without a doubt, disposable e-cigarettes should be banned. There is absolutely no reason that these cheap, readily available, brightly coloured, recreational products should be single use. Youth vaping is fast becoming an epidemic among children, and I fear that if action is not taken, we will find ourselves sleepwalking into a crisis.”
Many health leaders have previously raised concerns over the promotion of cheap and colourful vaping products, which they believe are targeted at children.3
McKean continued, “The research and data around widespread e-cigarette use is still very much in its infancy. We simply don’t know enough. What we do know is that these products are not risk free, are likely to be damaging for developing young lungs, and are also terrible for our environment.
“This is a lose-lose situation. It’s time to prioritise our children and our planet: it’s time to ban disposables.”
Serious environmental impact
As well as the potential effects on health, paediatricians have said that these disposable e-cigarettes have a serious environmental impact, with at least 1.3 million disposable vapes thrown away every week in the UK, equal to two every second. Disposable e-cigarettes are very difficult to recycle and contain lithium—a limited resource whose mining also has a negative impact on the environment.4
The British Paediatric Respiratory Society has supported the college’s call for a ban, saying that it shares these same health and environmental concerns. The society’s president, Julian Legg, said, “The chemicals within these products can be directly harmful to the lungs, and the full effects of these toxicities are unlikely to be known for many years. By the time the full adverse effects are apparent it may be too late to reverse respiratory complications.”
The call for a ban comes after the government said that it would be “cracking down” on child vaping, announcing a review of rules on the sale of nicotine-free vapes and the fines issued to any shops found to be selling illicit vapes or illegally selling vapes to under 18s.5 It added that it would look to close a loophole that has allowed retailers to give away free samples of e-cigarettes to children in England, and it has launched an evidence review on youth vaping.
While welcoming the announcement, public health leaders said that much more action was needed and highlighted that the government had missed an opportunity in 2021 to introduce a ban on free samples and make it harder for companies to target children, through proposed amendments to the 2021 Health and Social Care Bill.