WHO says e-cigarettes ‘undoubtedly harmful’
Electronic cigarettes are “undoubtedly harmful” and should be regulated, the WHO said as it warned against the use of vaping products by smokers trying to quit their deadly habit.
The growing popularity of e-cigarettes, battery-powered devices that enable users to inhale addictive nicotine liquids, has raised fears among policymakers worldwide of a new gateway addiction for young people.
While vaping exposes users to lower levels of toxins than smoking, the World Health Organization said the devices still pose “health risks” to users.
There was also “insufficient evidence” to support claims of their effectiveness in assisting smokers trying to quit conventional cigarettes, it said.
“In most countries where they are available, the majority of e-cigarette users continue to use e-cigarettes and cigarettes concurrently, which has little to no beneficial impact on health risk and effects,” the report said.
The WHO warned misinformation spread by the tobacco industry about e-cigarettes was “a present and real threat”.
Restrictions on the use of e-cigarettes around the world is increasing. San Francisco last month banned the sale and manufacture of the products, which unlike tobacco cigarettes do not burn.
China, home to nearly a third of the world’s tobacco smokers, is also planning to regulate the vaping devices.
