Experts Warn of 'Epidemic' of Youth Vaping as RCPCH Calls for Ban on Disposable E-Cigarettes

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has called for a ban on disposable vapes, as they have warned that youth vaping is "fast becoming an epidemic among children." They stated that experts agree that longer-term data is needed on the effects of vaping, particularly in regard to cardiovascular disease.

They also pointed out that there is a lack of evidence on the long-term impacts of these products on young lungs, hearts, and brains.

The RCPCH also highlighted the serious environmental impact of disposable e-cigarettes, stating that without a doubt, disposable e-cigarettes should be banned.

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) data showed a 50% rise in the proportion of children trying vaping in Great Britain in the last year.

In May, data showed a rise in experimental vaping among 11 to 17-year-olds, from 7.7% last year to 11.6% this year.

The RCPCH also called for a specific tax on disposable vapes of £5, prohibition of branding that would appeal to children, reinstating funding for sustained anti-smoking campaigns promoting vaping as the most effective quitting aid available to adult smokers, and prohibition of in-store promotion of e-cigarettes with exemptions for age-restricted, specialist vape shops.