Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1507818
10 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 SEPTEMBER 2023 Disposable vapes: Is it European countries are discussing or implementing a ban on disposable vaping devices, but Maltese authorities do not even have statistics on usage trends locally. KARL AZZOPARDI reports. ONCE hailed as a safer alter- native to traditional tobacco smoking, the allure of vaping has captured the attention of millions worldwide. However, as the vapor clouds billow and e-cigarettes become increasingly commonplace, France has be- come the latest country to ban the colourful disposable vapes, considering them a public health hazard. A growing body of research and expert opinions are raising serious concerns about the po- tential dangers of vaping. MaltaToday spoke to experts in the medical field to gauge their views on the ever-grow- ing increase in vape users. "Before people thought vap- ing was a safer alternative to smoking, but the reality is we're not so sure about that," Professor Stephen Montfort, a respiratory expert, told Malta- Today. The country's public health authorities have no data on the phenomenon, making it hard to gauge the extent of vape us- age in Malta. The vape trend The rise in e-cigarette use has been fuelled by the increasing availability of disposable vapes in recent years. These make up the vast majority of vape sales and are sold in flavours including pink lemonade, bub- ble-gum and watermelon ice, which critics say make them more attractive to younger people. Other countries have recently taken measures to limit their sale. In France, Prime Minister, Élisabeth Borne, said the gov- ernment would soon present a national plan to ban disposable e-cigarettes. Australia has banned single use vapes. New Zealand has banned most disposable vapes and introduced other meas- ures to limit their sale to young people. Germany has banned flavoured e-cigarettes, while a consultation is under way in Ireland on banning single use vapes. The UK also announced ear- lier this week that it would be banning disposable vapes. According to a European Res- piratory Society study, young people who have used e-ciga- rettes are more than twice as likely to report experiencing chronic stress. "The results also indicated that young people who use e-cigarettes had poorer quality of life but lower risks of some signs of ill health, such as high blood pressure, although these findings did not reach statisti- cal significance," Professor Elif Dağlı, who is chair of the Eu- ropean Respiratory Society's group on Tobacco, smoking control and health education said. What is the situation in Malta? In Malta, disposable vapes can be found virtually at every convenience store across the island, and young people vap- ing away with coloured sticks have become a common occur- rence. Several 'vape establishments' that sell oils for reusable e-cig- arettes are also popping up in different localities. But despite the visible in- crease in reusable and dispos- able vape usage, Malta's public health authorities have no data on the trend. Questions sent to the Su- perintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci on vape usage trends remained unan- swered. Gauci also refused to take a stand on whether such devices should be banned, given other countries' stance on the issue. She said a non-smoker who uses an electronic nicotine de- livery system (ENDS) may be- come addicted to nicotine and find it difficult to stop using ENDS or become addicted to conventional tobacco prod- ucts. "Evidence suggests that nev- er-smoker minors/adolescents who use ENDS can double their chance of starting to smoke to- bacco cigarettes later in life," Gauci warned. Experts highlight lack of studies on vapes Gauci said that while such products are harmful to health, There is little research on the impact of vaping on human health, but some countries have banned the easily accessible disposable versions Charmaine Gauci