Vaping, a modern alternative to smoking, has rapidly evolved into a growing public health concern worldwide.
This was stated by Dr Sonu Goel, director and president, Resource Centre for Tobacco Control, and professor, Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, PGIMER.
“Vaping is becoming increasingly popular among teenagers due to attractive flavours like candy, mint and fruit, along with colourful packaging, influencer marketing and widespread promotion on social media platforms,” he said.
Vapes, also called electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes, produce an aerosol that can contain nicotine, toxic chemicals, ultrafine particles, heavy metals and cancer-causing substances that are inhaled deep into the lungs.
Dr Goel said, “Our study found that people who vape had a 30% higher risk of asthma, 49% higher risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and respiratory symptoms, and current vape users had up to a 52% higher risk of stroke compared to non-users.”
He said, it became a major global public health concern after thousands of people, especially young adults, developed severe lung damage linked to vaping. Symptoms included coughing, chest pain, shortness of breath, fever, nausea and in some cases respiratory failure requiring intensive care. Dr Goel said India banned e-cigarettes under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA), 2019. The law prohibits the manufacture, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage, and advertisement of e-cigarettes across the country.
