Malaysia: Vaping to be Banned Eventually, Says Hilmi

Source from:  FreeMalaysiaToday.com 11/02/2015

The Health Ministry's long-term target is to ban vaping, or electronic cigarettes because it is more harmful than conventional smoking and youths are increasingly being addicted to it, says deputy health minister Dr Hilmi Yahya.

He said studies had shown that one hour of vaping was equivalent to smoking 150 cigarettes.

E-cigarettes not only contained the 87 cancerous substances in conventional cigarettes but also produced formaldehyde, which is used to preserve corpses.

"Rapid increase in vapers, especially among youths, was a worrying trend," Hilmi said. "Vaping is wrongly perceived as an alternate to conventional smoking when it is more harmful.

"The health ministry's long term objective was to ban vaping and e-cigarettes eventually."

E-cigarettes are battery-operated mechanisms that allow users to inhale or "vape" flavoured vapour produced from replaceable cartridges filled with nicotine and other chemicals. When the vape liquid is heated, it produces formaldehyde and formic acid.

He said vape consisted of propylene glycol, which contains a big amount of liquid nicotine and produces a lot of steam.

Scientists at the University of Athens, Greece, have shown that e-cigarettes cause damage to the lungs.

Nicotine on its own is an extremely toxic poison similar to pesticides and when taken too much, it can lead to nicotine poisoning, which causes vomiting, nausea and headaches.

According to the World Health Organisation, vaping was not a legitimate therapy for smokers trying to stop, nor have e-cigarettes been proven to be a nicotine replacement therapy.

Labels of e-cigarettes say it contains 3.8 per cent nicotine in each 10ml of liquid.

Some websites promote e-cigarettes as an alternative to nicotine addiction, and they are also being marketed as effective smoking cessation devices. It is sold at RM50-RM90, and a liquid-filled bottle at RM10-RM20.

E-cigarettes are widely and openly sold at pasar malams (night markets), online, and at gift shops. There are also shops specifically selling e-cigarettes.

Studies showed that Malaysia had a smoking prevalence of 23.1 per cent among adults and an extremely high smoking prevalence of 30.9 per cent among boys aged 13. Every day 50 teenagers below the age of 18 start smoking in Malaysia.

The Consumers Association of Penang has called for an immediate ban on e-cigarettes, pointing out that its study showed that the products were becoming popular among women and students, including primary school pupils.

As there was no age limit on e-cigarette sales, unlike conventional cigarettes, CAP president SM Mohamed Idris said it had led more children and youths to vape. Women were also vaping because there was less of a social stigma attached to it than with ordinary cigarettes.

E-cigarettes have been banned in Singapore, Argentina, Brazil, Cambodia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Qatar, Seychelles and Turkey.

"The delay in banning the device in our country is incomprehensible," Idris said. "CAP urges the health ministry to ban immediately the sales and use of e-cigarettes. Act now to save our younger generation." Enditem