Just a few days ago, the video of a girl who received a batch of specific items for smokers at her First Communion party, including a vaper or electronic cigarette, went viral. The video is surprising because of its recklessness, but the reality that it reveals behind it is worrying and there are various entities that openly denounce it these days. One of them is the Valencian Association of Consumers and Users (AVACU) that warns of the "growing offer and easy access" by minors to vapers.
They explain that they have spent months observing the "facilities" that adolescents find to access these products, despite the fact that their sale is prohibited to those under 18 years of age. However, AVACU denounces that these electronic cigarettes are marketed without any type of control and that they are accessible to all audiences. "We understand that, as these are products whose sale is prohibited to those under 18 years of age, they should not be available in this type of machine to which anyone has access without any type of control, regardless of their age," he says. AVACU in a statement sent this Friday to the media.
Certainly in the city of Valencia, vapers are already being sold in vending machines, some of them located near schools, through places frequented by children and young people. Its price ranges between 8 and 15 euros, while in multi-price stores you can buy it for 7-9 euros.
In addition to the alert, AVACU relies on the Illustrious Official College of Physicians of Valencia to denounce the situation and they indicate that they have their support because "the scientific community has been warning about the risks in child and youth populations that these devices pose. In addition, may be the gateway to tobacco use among the youngest".
From AVACU they explain that in June of last year they sent a letter to both the Ministry of Consumption and the General Directorate of Consumption of the Ministry of Sustainable Economy, Productive Sectors, Commerce and Labor, reporting this worrying situation, but they assure that "we have not got an answer."
Although some of these vapers do not include nicotine, they are sold with a pineapple or mint flavor -and customized with images of children's characters such as SpongeBob or The Minions-, their use is not recommended for young people, given the risks that their consumption entails.
"They contain toxic elements and carcinogenic compounds that are already causing lung diseases and could be the cause of various types of tumors, such as lung, kidney or bladder cancer." This was defended by Natalia Ruiz, coordinator of the Health Promotion Unit at the Spanish Association Against Cancer in the Valencian Community in the online meeting that the entity held this week with more than a thousand young people to warn of its dangers. More than 1,000 young people between the ages of 12 and 16 participated who were warned about the risk of the consumption of electronic cigarettes and hookahs.
“If we want a smoke-free generation, we need to raise awareness about the consequences of consuming these devices. 20% of young people smoke hookah daily and 35% once a week. A hookah is equivalent to the smoke of 200 cigarettes and, therefore, its use increases the risk of lung cancer by 122%”, explains Tomás Trenor, president of the Spanish Association Against Cancer in the Valencian Community.
