RCPCH Vice-President for Policy, Dr Mike McKean, said:
A study of this scale on youth vaping is extremely welcome and long overdue. As a respiratory paediatric consultant, it’s not lost on me that smoking remains the single biggest cause of preventable illness and death in the UK. We know this because we have 60+ years of established research and data on cigarette use on a population level. However, the research and data around widespread e-cigarette use, especially in young people, is still very much in its infancy.
What is clear is that vaping can be very addictive and lead to a life-long relationship with nicotine -and the chemicals within these products are very likely to be particularlyharmful to young, developing lungs. I often worry that the full effects of these toxicities are unlikely to be known for many years – and by the time the full adverse effects are apparent it may be too late to reverse. Research and evidence will be crucial if we are to try and temper the impacts of vaping and protect future generations.