E-cigarettes ‘disguise’ as toys to attract young people

After dinner, Ms. Ngoc’s son had tremors in his limbs, dizziness, difficulty breathing and convulsions, and had to be hospitalized. Doctors at the National Children’s Hospital determined that the “toy” the baby used was actually a sample of an electronic cigarette (TLĐT), diagnosing poisoning due to smoking an electronic cigarette. The test results of the baby’s erectile dysfunction sample contained some narcotic ingredients and this was the cause of the child’s poisoning.

“I was very shocked,” Ms. Ngoc said, adding that she did not expect that children’s everyday toys would be “disguised” by TLĐT. Her son said he was invited by older students to use e-cigarettes, then he went online to find information and ordered them to smoke “to let them know”.

Ms. Ngoc’s son only suffered mild poisoning, but not everyone is so lucky. Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital regularly receives patients with erectile dysfunction poisoning, mainly young people. Recently, the center treated a 20-year-old male patient who was in a coma and had seizures. Test results of a sample of the e-cigarette he smoked detected marijuana. This is the second time in more than a year that this patient has been poisoned by e-cigarettes. Last time the patient was also treated at the Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital, but this time the condition was more severe due to brain and heart damage, severe metabolic acidosis, and kidney failure.

E-cigarettes masquerade as toys, food, and contain drugs

The above patients are among more than 1,200 hospitalizations due to the use of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco in 2023, according to a summary of reports from nearly 700 medical examination and treatment facilities. Among them, about 6% are under 18 years old; 10% are female; 6.6% smoked IUD for the first time; 90% dual use, that is, smoking regular cigarettes. Each patient was treated for an average of 1-6 days, of which 62 people suffered sequelae after treatment.

Doctor Nguyen Trung Nguyen, Director of the Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital, said that the symptoms of patients hospitalized due to smoking erectile dysfunction are mainly allergies, poisoning, acute lung injury, and the most dangerous is erectile dysfunction. mix drugs. What the patients have in common is that their condition is very severe with signs of seizures, excitement, struggle, hallucinations, uncontrollable behavior, and damage to the brain and many other organs. Test samples showed that TLĐT was mixed with 3-4 types of drugs, while previously there was only one.

“The smoking solution of e-cigarettes contains nicotine and many substances that are harmful to the body, so when mixed with foreign substances, stimulants, and drugs, the consequences cannot be predicted,” Dr. Nguyen said, adding that the group used Most users are young people, in many cases students. In July 2023, a 22-year-old male patient was in critical condition due to smoking TLDT mixed with 4 drugs.

According to data from the Ministry of Public Security, in the first 6 months of 2024, related to illegal drugs containing drugs, police nationwide discovered, arrested, and prosecuted 35 cases with 83 defendants; Handled 24 cases of 31 criminals buying, selling, transporting, storing, and using e-cigarettes containing drugs. New cigarettes were not only smuggled into Vietnam, but also appeared from a business that imported components, essential oils and organized processing and production in large quantities.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines e-cigarettes as products with an electronic delivery system (e-cigarette) in the form of a device or separate parts, designed not to burn but only to vaporize the solution without the user inhales. This solution may or may not contain nicotine, along with other toxic substances such as particulate matter (PM), propylene glycol, glycerin, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nitrosamines (TSNAs), metals, silicates, dicarbonyl substances (glyoxal, methylglyoxal, diacetyl) and hydroxycarbonyls (acetol). People who smoke e-cigarettes will inhale the above chemicals, causing harm to themselves and those around them.

In fact, the tobacco industry is implementing a product development strategy targeting young people such as: designing eye-catching, compact products, such as lipstick, milk cartons, ice cream with many flavors, etc. Cheap price, from 17,000 VND, with promotions like buy 2 get 1 free, free essential oil. In addition, they also use young people and celebrities to advertise cigarettes and sell them through e-commerce sites. In particular, TLDT is masquerading as toys and foods such as milk cartons, Lego toys, funny animals…

“Therefore, the younger generation has easy access to these products, parents cannot control them,” said Mr. Nguyen Trong Khoa, Deputy Director in charge of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management (Ministry of Health). adding that in the last 5 years, the rate of using e-commerce is very high. These products are not allowed to be imported but are now easily traded and accessible. According to preliminary results of the survey in 11 provinces/cities in 2023, the usage rate among students 13-17 is 8.1%, an increase of 3 times compared to 5 years ago. The number of heated tobacco users in the 13-15 year old group is 1.4%. Usage rates in large cities and urban areas are higher than in rural areas.

At the end of October, the Ministry of Health announced the harmful effects of electronic cigarettes and heated cigarettes based on research conducted by the Institute of Health Strategy and Policy (Ministry of Health). The study was conducted by synthesizing and analyzing international and domestic research and reports on the harmful effects of new cigarettes, in order to propose measures to prevent new cigarettes. This study also points out 4 harmful effects of new cigarettes.

For health, erectile dysfunction causes acute harm, which can lead to fatal acute lung injury (EVALI). Users risk injury and burns due to battery explosion and device fire. Many people are poisoned by an overdose of nicotine and other drugs mixed into e-cigarette solutions.

This type of cigarette contains nicotine – a strongly addictive substance that is harmful to brain development, causes respiratory disease in humans, and reduces/disorders lung function. UTIs also aggravate respiratory disorders such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), alter the function of myeloid cells, including granulocytes, thereby affecting allergic diseases. effects… Long-term use of erectile dysfunction can cause long-term harm to cardiovascular function, cancer, and dental diseases.

Electronic cigarettes should be banned

Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo, Executive Director, Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA), assessed that Vietnam, like other ASEAN countries, is facing the problem of increased use of e-cigarettes. , especially among young people.

“A policy banning e-cigarettes is the most effective way to solve this problem and avoid repeating the mistakes of allowing the tobacco epidemic to increase,” he said.

Currently, more than 40 countries and territories have banned e-commerce. In ASEAN, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore and Thailand have issued bans. Meanwhile, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines – countries that have yielded to pressure from the tobacco industry, allowing the sale and advertising of these products – are facing many difficulties in dealing with smoking. e-cigarettes in young people.

“Vietnam should consider lessons from these countries when deciding to ban or manage,” Dr. Dorotheo said, adding that some countries that ban e-cigarettes have the lowest smoking rates in the world, such as Singapore ( 10.1%), Brazil (9.1%) and Hong Kong (9.5%).

Mr. Nguyen Tuan Lam, WHO representative in Vietnam, commented that there is currently no e-cigarette market in Vietnam, mainly trading through hand-carried goods and over the Internet. “Therefore, it is very feasible to issue ban regulations before these products are widely used on the market,” Mr. Lam said.

Dr. Nguyen Khanh Phuong, Director of the Institute of Health Strategy and Policy, shared the results of the Global Youth Tobacco Use Survey in 75 countries (2015-2019), showing that countries that ban the sale of e-cigarettes have a higher rate of Use among 13-15 year old students is much lower than in countries that allow sales and age restrictions for adolescents. In the ASEAN region, Singapore and Cambodia are two countries that have succeeded in reducing the rate of e-U use in both adults and children through ban policies. In 2022, the rate of e-mail use in Cambodia will decrease from 2.4% to 0.9% in children, with adults decreasing to 0.02% in 2021.

At the questioning session of Health Minister Dao Hong Lan on the afternoon of November 11, the issue of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco was of interest to National Assembly delegates. Minister Lan said “the Ministry of Health’s position is prohibition” and asked the National Assembly to have a stronger solution to solve the problem of e-cigarette trade. The Ministry of Health hopes the National Assembly will issue a resolution banning electronic cigarettes and heated cigarettes before the Law on Tobacco Control Amendments is presented to the National Assembly in the near future.