A few fingers are raised cautiously when pulmonologist and oncologist Frank Borm from the Leiden University Medical Center asks the class who has ever vaped. These first-graders, aged 12 and 13, already know a lot about it. Where you buy such a thing, what they cost and what flavors, colors and even sounds there are.
There are also young people at the Groene Hart Praktijkschool in Alphen aan den Rijn who have their heads in a permanent cloud, caused by the e-cigarette they smoke during the break. Outside the fences, because the school has a smoking ban.
The school is very concerned about this and has therefore requested the teaching package on vaping. The children in this class are not yet addicted to it, they say. Borm hopes that he can ensure that this does not happen. Since this autumn, he and six hundred fellow doctors have been providing information at schools to warn young people about the consequences of vaping. Smoking may be on the decline among young people, but vaping is now in.
Figures from the Trimbos Institute show that one in five Dutch young people (12 to 25) has used a vape in the past year. Such an e-cigarette was promoted as the healthier version of the traditional cigarette. It contains no tar, which is the main culprit when smoking.
Most vapers switch to smoking
But vaping itself also causes lung damage, says Borm. A liquid is evaporated in the electronic cigarette. It contains a mixture of flavorings and other substances, such as the highly addictive nicotine. The other substances can also cause problems. Moreover, two out of three vapers still start smoking.
Image Werry Crone
Borm, dressed in a doctor’s coat, shows photos of blackened lungs and talks about his patients with lung cancer. He shows a photo of a 19-year-old boy who ended up in hospital with serious lung complaints after vaping.
It makes quite an impression. Almost 14-year-old Kim tells us that a family member has cancer. “Colon or lung cancer, I don’t remember exactly which.” She fills up. Pulmonologist Borm squats at her table and briefly places a hand on her arm. “Oh, girl.”
Falling asleep
When the doctor’s PowerPoint presentation goes into more detail about the consequences of smoking at the cellular level, he sees the children half asleep at the back of the classroom. Borm skips a few complicated sheets and takes the conversation to video platform TikTok, where influencers make money from promoting vaping to children.
What does this class actually think about the tobacco industry making children addicted and making money from it, he asks. 12-year-old Cion is very clear about this. “You’re committing a kind of murder.”
Cion knows a lot of people who vape, he says. It doesn’t make you happy, the teenager thinks. “I’ve heard that a lot of depressed people use it.”
Ranomi (12) asks what the word depressed means. “Something like you don’t feel good and you often cry,” says Cion. Borm explains that addiction certainly influences how you feel. If you are dependent on a substance, you only become happy again when you take it again.
‘Most farmers smoke’
Ranomi knows few people in her family who do not smoke. “When the weather is bad, my parents smoke in the kitchen at home. Only my aunt doesn’t smoke and neither does my grandfather, the hospital had him quit.”
Image Werry Crone
That sounds like a familiar story for Vince (13), who comes from the village of Zevenhoven. “I come from a farming village. Most farmers simply smoke.”
His parents have now overcome their smoking addiction. His mother has been retired for a few years and, according to Vince, his father was recently forced out by his new girlfriend.
He has also lit a cigarette himself. “About five times.” He didn’t really like that. Vaping, on the other hand, was a lot better, because of the flavor it contains. Watermelon and blueberries. That left me wanting more, but Vince has no plans to start smoking or vaping.
Flavor ban
From January 1, 2024, it will no longer be possible to buy vapes with a flavor such as pineapple, honey, kiwi or nuts in the Netherlands. The sweet flavors made vaping popular among young people. With the ban, the government wants to reduce use. From now on, only the tobacco flavor is available. The ban actually came into effect on January 1, 2023, but stores were still allowed to sell existing stock. If there is any left now, it should be thrown away.
Also read:
Vaping as a replacement for cigarettes? For young people it seems like a stepping stone to the ‘real’ stuff
Young people who smoke e-cigarettes also regularly light a cigarette containing tobacco. This is evident from research by the Trimbos Institute.
2023-12-27 21:00:17
#vaping #harmless #doctor #explains #graders
