International Experts Challenge WHO Statement on E-cigarette Health Risks

A group of prominent international tobacco harm reduction (THR) experts have compiled and published extensive research criticizing the World Health Organization's (WHO) official health statement on e-cigarettes.

A recently released white paper titled "Challenging Public Health: a Consumer Perspective" opposes the World Health Organization's claim that non-smoking underage individuals who use electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) are twice as likely to start smoking later in life.

Using Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) does not lead to smoking. Instead, the same factors that influence young people to start smoking may also make them more likely to use ENDS. These factors could include genetics, family situations, mental health, school environments, crime, and risk-taking. This is referred to as a "shared responsibility," as highlighted in the white paper.

The 'gateway effect' has been repeatedly proven to be incorrect. Vaping is an exit from smoking, rather than an entrance. Rest assured that if e-cigarettes are not available, most young people who vape will either smoke or become smokers," said Nancy Loucas, Executive Coordinator of CAPHRA (the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates).

We strongly oppose the use of electronic cigarettes by minors, but we must also remember that smoking behind the bike shed in the past had a much more serious impact on health," she said.

The author opposes the World Health Organization's assertion that both tobacco products and ENDS pose health risks, and that the associated risks may depend on a variety of factors, some related to the product being used and others related to the individual user.

No respected scientist believes that the risks associated with electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) even come close to those of smoking. The white paper states, "The question of whether e-cigarettes are more dangerous than combustible cigarettes is itself an absolute scandal designed to introduce biased anchors.

Lucas stated that what really bothers advocates of Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) is that the World Health Organization (WHO) continually compares deadly smoking to much less harmful products, making them appear equally dangerous. This is a deliberate comparison that leads to severe health consequences because people may abandon e-cigarettes and go back to smoking, or may not switch to safer nicotine products in the first place.

The white paper labels as "shameful and outright lies" the claims made by the World Health Organization, stating that there is increasing evidence indicating that electronic cigarettes cause lung damage.

There is no 'growing body of evidence' suggesting that ENDS may have caused the lung injuries seen in the US from June to December 2019. On the contrary, since July 2019, an increasing amount of evidence points to a clear and direct link between this outbreak and ENDS," the author countered.

We will continue to publish key parts of our review of the WHO guidelines, which astonishingly were provided to signatories and representatives of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

All we are asking for is evidence-based and objective policy discussions, decisions, and risk-appropriate regulation. This is how the FCTC will reduce the harm caused by combustible and unsafe tobacco products globally," said Nancy Loucas.

Ms. Loucas presented on "The Subversion of Public Health: A Consumer Perspective" at the 5th Asia Harm Reduction Forum (AHRF 2022) recently. To read the full white paper, please visit: https://caphraorg.net/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/white-paper-subversion_of_public_health.pdf.

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