Vaping: A valuable risk reduction tool or a threat to public health? Experts speak out
As clouds scented with cotton candy and strawberry ice cream fill the air, the debate over regulating vaping in Canada continues to rage.
The popularity of electronic cigarettes continues to grow, but questions about vaping as a positive sign of change or as a new public health concern hooking a new generation to nicotine are also increasing.
According to a Health Canada survey, youth smoking rates declined from 5% to 3% between 2019 and 2020. However, Canada has some of the highest teen vaping rates in the world, with a 2023 survey showing that about a third of students in grades 7-12 have tried vaping.
Since vaping became legal in Canada in 2018, the market has been flooded with new products. Several studies have concluded that vaping appears to be less harmful than smoking, but it is not free of health risks.
Vaping certain fruit-flavored liquids has been shown to produce dangerous compounds called volatile carbonyls during the heating process. These compounds are known to have implications for chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD), cardiovascular diseases and cancers.
A recent study co-authored by Donal O'Shea, a professor at the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Science in Dublin, used artificial intelligence to analyze the chemical compounds in 180 vape flavors when heated. Vapes were found to produce 127 “acutely toxic” chemicals, 153 “health hazards” and 225 “irritants.”
Additionally, many experts have warned of the as-yet-unknown long-term effects of using e-cigarettes.
In June 2021, the federal government released proposed regulations that would ban most flavors of e-cigarette liquids except tobacco, mint, and menthol. However, these flavor bans have not yet been implemented.
At the provincial level, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories have all banned the sale of flavored vaping products, and Manitoba recently plans to do the same.
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first menthol-flavored vaping products in late June. An FDA official, Matthew Farrelly, said in a statement that the agency had "concluded that the benefits to adult smokers" switching to e-cigarettes "were sufficient to outweigh the risks to youth."
On July 1, the Canadian government introduced a tax on vaping products, increasing the cost of a vape pod from 12 to 24 cents.
But while regulations, taxes and restrictions are debated in Parliament, advocates say the measures are misguided. Some proponents of vaping as an alternative to tobacco say limiting flavors and raising taxes would be a step backwards, forcing would-be tobacco smokers back to a more harmful alternative.
Some critics have accused the federal government of “standing idly” when it comes to youth vaping. But vapes have also brought real benefits, especially for those who have successfully quit smoking altogether.
So what should Canada do? Is vaping a legitimate threat to public health or is it a much safer alternative for those who would otherwise be vulnerable to the known harms of cigarettes?
