An expert from Ireland said that in terms of preventing nicotine addiction among young people, the prevalence of disposable electronic cigarettes has recently raised worrying issues.

These devices are sold under various brands, about the same size and shape as fluorescent pens, and are sold together with the nicotine liquid already in them.

Due to insufficient data on genotoxicity and potentially harmful chemicals and their disproportionate role in the increase of teenagers’ smoking of electronic cigarettes, the US Food and Drug Administration began to ban all disposable electronic cigarettes of Juul Company.

Mark Murphy, the publicity officer of the Irish Heart Foundation, welcomed the move, saying it was a step in the right direction for public health.

“Juul is the first large-scale disposable brand, which is really the reason why young people there smoke electronic cigarettes on a large scale.” He said.

He pointed out that Juul’s major shareholder was Altria Group, a major tobacco producer.
“These companies sell e-cigarettes as a good health substitute, because it can prevent people from smoking. At the same time, they also benefit from the same smoker, regardless of whether they transition to e-cigarettes.” He said.
“With the decline of global smoking rate, tobacco companies have been involved in electronic cigarettes, because they know how popular electronic cigarettes are among young non-smokers. As research shows, many of them will eventually smoke.”

Colin O’Gara, Professor of UCD Medical College, is the director of addiction service of St John of God’s Hospital. He has a doctor’s degree in the influence of genes on smoking cessation.

He said that although electronic cigarettes were invented and sold for adults trying to quit smoking, the increase in the use of electronic cigarettes by teenagers is worrying.

“The easier a substance is available, the greater the harm and addiction it may cause. There is no doubt that this is worrying and needs to be monitored.”

He said that there must be clearer guidance to prevent young people from becoming addicted to nicotine and smoking, because they began to use cheap and accessible electronic cigarettes.

The Scientific Committee on Health, Environment and Emerging Risks of the European Commission found that there is moderate evidence that electronic cigarettes are a way for young people to smoke.

On the other hand, it also found that the evidence supporting the effectiveness of electronic cigarettes in helping smokers quit smoking was insufficient.

“The brain of teenagers is a developing brain. We must always bear in mind that teenagers’ risk management and decision-making are different from adults’, and teenagers’ ability to make decisions about these products is different from adults’.” He said.

Ogala’s work on addiction showed him the benefits of electronic cigarette smoking for long-term smokers, and he insisted that the problem was not black or white.

However, Murphy disagrees, arguing that the availability of electronic cigarettes does more harm than good in nicotine addiction.

In terms of nicotine content, 40 mg of nicotine in most disposable electronic cigarettes is equivalent to 20 to 40 cigarettes.These can last 200-400 times of suction or inhalation.

“Compared with tobacco, disposable e-cigarettes have quite reasonable value, which is an ideal choice for young people without a large amount of disposable income.” Murphy said.

A website seen by the Wall Street Journal sold e-cigarettes containing the same amount of nicotine as a pack of cigarettes for 15 euros at a price of 8 euros.

“E-Cigarettes, especially disposable e-cigarettes, are very colorful and easy to buy. They are shared between young people and their friends. Then they are discarded.” He continued.

“It is dishonest for the electronic cigarette company to say that these devices are only used by former smokers who are trying to quit smoking because they are so attractive, so attractive and easy to obtain for young people.”

The Irish Heart Foundation supports the prohibition of the taste of electronic cigarettes (as proposed by the European Commission), the introduction of plain packaging (similar to the current cigarette packaging law) in electronic cigarettes and the raising of the age required to buy electronic cigarettes to 21.

The 2019 European School Alcohol and Other Drugs Survey Project (ESPAD) reported that 39% of Irish people aged 15-16 had used electronic cigarettes at least once, of which 16% had used electronic cigarettes in the past 30 days.

“For most major cigarette brands, such as Vibe and VIP, they are owned by major tobacco companies such as British American Tobacco.” Murphy continued.

“The fact that they are turning to electronic cigarettes is worrying, because they hope to continue to make profits by making a new generation addicted to nicotine.”

He added that one of the main defensive measures used by e-cigarette providers was that they were helping people to quit their potentially fatal smoking addiction, but he said they were profiting from one person’s nicotine dependence in one way or another.

“The fact that these products are now sold in so many stores is a good thing for the industry, because they can bridge this gap and connect with people who have never smoked or even smoked electronic cigarettes before.”

HSE does not recommend electronic cigarette as a method of quitting smoking, and found that its effect on quitting smoking is not as good as nicotine gum or patch.

Fine Gael health spokesman Colm Burke TD proposed the Irish Heart Foundation research, which pointed out that the proportion of teenagers who smoke electronic cigarettes and smoking has increased, and said that teenagers who smoke electronic cigarettes are 50% more likely to try smoking.

“Electronic cigarette products are usually sold as a way for smokers to quit smoking. In stores and websites, they are sold as cleaner alternatives to smoking, and switching from cigarettes to electronic cigarettes is promoted as a healthy decision.”

“However, if you want to promote products for medical purposes, such as smoking cessation, you should obtain the authorization of the Health Products and Regulatory Authority (HPRA). At present, there is no HPRA authorized electronic cigarette on the Irish market.”

He added that cheap disposable electronic cigarettes and flavoring electronic liquids would only make young people who did not quit smoking more likely to become addicted.

“Even for those who start using them because they quit smoking, we need to be able to fully inform them of the risks. They should also try to stay away from these products for a period of time.”

In addition to being related to cardiorespiratory diseases and asthma, electronic smoke is also harmful to the environment.

Over the years, the improper disposal of electronic cigarettes has been a problem, but the long life and high price of traditional electronic cigarettes mean that they are not often thrown away as disposable products.

Murphy said: Waste is a growing concern because it is obvious that they will introduce plastic, nicotine salt and heavy metals into wildlife and soil because they are used and discarded. Therefore, it will also have a huge impact on the environment.

The title of an e-cigarette website is all you need to know about disposable e-cigarettes. It lists how long they can last and are they safe? And how I use one, but there is no information about safe disposal of them.
The website also said that you may need several such devices to last the whole weekend.

The US Environmental Protection Agency said that disposable electronic cigarettes should be placed in discarded electrical and electronic equipment boxes in local civic centers or returned to the retailers who bought them.

“Disposable e-cigarettes are a relatively new development, and the US Environmental Protection Agency acknowledges that it is necessary to improve its understanding of them. The EPA intends to send a circular letter to companies in the industry this year, suggesting that they apply the regulations to disposable products.” EPA said.

A study by the US Foundation Truth Initiative in 2020 found that 51% of young e-cigarette users reported that they had discarded used e-cigarette cartridges or empty disposable items in dustbins, 17% had discarded them in recycling bins for non e-cigarette waste, and 10% had reported that they had just left them on the ground.