All at sea over vapor

The US Surgeon General (SG) has said that action must be taken against electronic-cigarette use to protect the health of the nation’s young people.

In an advisory on e-cigarettes, VADM Jerome Adams said he was emphasizing the importance of protecting ‘our children’ from a lifetime of nicotine addiction and associated health risks by immediately addressing the epidemic of youth e-cigarette use.

‘The recent surge in e-cigarette use among youth, which has been fueled by new types of e-cigarettes that have recently entered the market, is a cause for great concern.

‘We must take action now to protect the health of our nation’s young people.’

The SG’s intervention was welcomed by the American Medical Association (AMA).

The AMA’s president, Barbara L. McAneny MD, said, in part, that the Association strongly supported the SG’s call for immediate action to address “the skyrocketing use of e-cigarettes by youth”.

“Given the dramatic rise in e-cigarette use amongst young people in the last year alone, it is very clear that we must all do everything we can to help reverse this epidemic,” she was quoted as saying.

“The only way to prevent another generation from developing nicotine dependence is to continue to raise awareness that e-cigarettes are harmful, powerfully addictive, and can often lead young people to smoke conventional cigarettes.

“E-cigarettes have the potential to undermine the public health gains that have been made over the years in combatting the smoking epidemic.

“We agree that parents, teachers and physicians are instrumental in reaching youth to help prevent e-cigarette use before it starts.

“We look forward to working closely with the Surgeon General’s Office to help protect our nation’s youth from e-cigarettes and the harmful nicotine they contain.”