Since the advent of disposable electronic cigarettes, we have observed a more severe course of banal infections in children. This was stated by Iveta Neuschlová, the deputy head of the Pediatric Pneumology and Physiology Clinic of the National Institute of Children’s Diseases in Bratislava, in response to the results of inspections by the Slovak Trade Inspection (SOI) on the sale of tobacco to minors. She pointed out that disposable cigarettes can contain a dose of nicotine equivalent to three to ten regular cigarettes.
“All forms of smoking – tobacco, nicotine disposable e-cigarettes or herbal products – are harmful and dangerous for children and young people. In our practice, we encounter respiratory collapses in otherwise healthy children who have come into contact with a common virusm. And when we look for a cause and a solution, we often find out during the anamnesis that the child regularly uses, for example, disposable electronic cigarettes, which although their name gives the impression of short-term use, but children puff on them all day long,” pointed out Neuschlová.
She added that children between the ages of 10 and 14 can become addicted almost immediately. “Adolescents can show signs of addiction after three to five days, and up to 30 percent report feeling addicted within a week of starting use,” explained the expert. She stressed that the liquid in disposable cigarettes also contains other toxic substances, such as formaldehyde, metal particles and aromas, which can cause lung damage known as EVALI. “Even a small amount of liquid, less than a teaspoon, can be fatal to a small child if ingested,” explained.
She pointed out that the development of lungs in children takes place until approximately the eighth year of life, after which their growth continues until puberty. “Negative influences such as smoking or secondhand smoke inhalation can significantly disrupt this development. Children breathe faster than adults, thus inhaling more carbon monoxide and other harmful substances per kilogram of body weight. Their airways, alveoli, and developing brain are also more sensitive to toxins from smoke and aerosols,” added.
She pointed out that even herbal forms of cigarettes are not a safe alternative. “However, when they are burned, carcinogens enter the lungs – carbon monoxide, soot, polycyclic hydrocarbons, aromatic amines or aldehydes,” she named. According to her, from a preventive point of view, it is necessary to observe the ban on the sale of all smoking products to minors and to prevent marketing practices that promote “natural” or “less harmful” alternatives to children.
She also supported the Ministry of Health’s proposal to ban the sale of flavored nicotine products and disposable electronic cigarettes. “For me, the society’s tolerance of disposable e-cigarettes is treacherous precisely because they don’t smell, they don’t smoke, and they smell good,” she reminded.
SOI found that every fourth child in Slovakia buys smoking products without any problems. Out of 957 purchases in various types of establishments, it found violations of the law in 25.5 percent of cases. Most of the illegal sales were aimed at juveniles aged 15 to 17.
