U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy recently addressed the significant health risks from electronic cigarettes in a report called "E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults."
“We applaud the surgeon general for bringing attention to the serious public health problem of youth use of e-cigarettes and the resulting adverse health effects,” Chris Hansen, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), said. “The report issues a call to action for parents, teachers, scientists, the public health community, policymakers and the tobacco industry to take precautionary measures now to prevent e-cigarette use and future impact from these products among youth and young adults.”
Murthy has repeatedly cautioned Americans about the dangers of tobacco use since 1964 when scientific information was first available. As a result, America’s youth are less likely to use cigarettes -- but the popularity of e-cigarettes is on the rise.
“The report states that the use of any products containing nicotine among youth, including e-cigarettes, is unsafe,” Hansen said. “Exposure to nicotine poses unique health risks to adolescents and young adults because their brains are still developing, therefore increasing their vulnerability to health and mental risks such as addiction, reduced impulse control, deficits in attention and cognition, and mood disorders.”
ACS CAN hopes lawmakers will take the report seriously and work on a comprehensive approach to reduce the access and use of all tobacco products among youth and young adults.
