Health, Beauty and Fashion with Denise McNamara

My son was on a city bus recently when a very young teenage girl refused to stop vaping and the driver threw everyone off in protest. You would have to be hibernating in Siberia not to have noticed the numbers of young people who have taken up vaping in their droves.

The teenagers I know tell me they’re very much in the minority for not joining in.

Originally marketed as a safer alternative for people trying to quit regular cigarettes, they have now morphed into a popular choice for younger people drawn to the sickly sweet flavours and the bright colours.

Since December 22 last, section 28 of the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act prohibited the sale of nicotine inhaling products such as e-cigarettes or vapes to people under 18. The offence carries a penalty of a fine of up to €4,000 and up to six-months in jail.

But, like alcohol, that may not be enough to deter their use among teens.

The University of Galway website, Ihealthfacts.ie, recently examined all the evidence currently available on the health impacts of e-cigarettes or vaping.

The Galway researchers found 23 relevant systematic reviews into e-cigarettes but most were observational.

“This means we can’t be sure it’s a fair comparison or say that e-cigarettes were the cause of any associations with poor health. The authors of most reviews concluded that e-cigarettes haven’t yet been on the market long enough to know their long-term impacts on health and that better quality studies are needed,” the report found.

Pictured: Vaping could wreck your skin as well as your health