Vaping’s Hidden Dangers: Youth Usage and Health Risks on the Rise

Addiction Economy thought for Today - So vaping is more prevalent than they thought and more harmful than they thought. Nice graphics and helpful information ( funny how the Daily Mail don't looks so ridiculous when you agree with them 😱 🤣 ).

We are interviewing young people for some qualitative work on vapes at the moment, and they are saying among children it is well over 70% in schools, with that as a conservative estimate. (Because of course that's the target age range of the most popular in terms of product design, flavourings and social media marketing, so that's no surprise.)

Helpful study though from Sarah Jackson, Harry Tattan-Birch, Ph.D. Lion Shahab Jamie Brown.

Can't help remark on an interesting and chippy little aside from ASH in their daily media round up in relation to the statement that "the number of adverse side effects linked to vaping reported to UK regulators has now eclipsed 1,000, with five of them fatal. The extensive list includes everything from headaches to strokes. Members of the public and medics can submit them."

"Editorial note: The article includes a graphic claiming to show the health effects of vaping and smoking on the body. However, no supporting evidence is provided for the statements on vaping which appear to be based on potential effects reported in individual studies or by the media. For reliable information about the health impacts of vaping we recommend referring to systematic reviews published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (2022) the Royal College of Physicians (2024)."

Whilst the Daily Mail is not the place to for trustworthy information, one of the big findings of Covid, is to take seriously experiential self-reported symptoms and that taken in real time from hospitals and GPs. If we had, we would have been much more prepared and responsive quicker. We think vaping needs the same approach.

We are hearing from healthcare professionals, particularly lung specialists that they are really really worried about what they are seeing in children and young people. That's important data which isn't as far as we can see out there. But perhaps we aren't looking in the right place.