Vaping presents real dangers to the health of the region’s young people, says Gippsland Lakes Complete Health’s Tehseen Zafar.
Speaking at recent presentations at Toorloo Arm and St Brendan’s primary schools, Tehseen, a GLCH prevention and population wellbeing worker, said vaping among young Victorians had surged in popularity since 2019 (up from 2.8 per cent to more than 15 per cent).
Working with local students to educate the school community about the dangers of vaping, Tehseen said the tobacco industry continued to undersell the dangers of vapes (also known as e-cigarettes) and markets its products to children and teens while downplaying the effects of nicotine addiction.
Vapes, which are illegal for under 18s to buy in Victoria, contain a cocktail of nicotine, formaldehyde, heavy metals and 250 other chemicals masked by sweet additives that are made to appeal to young taste buds.
Some vapes contain no nicotine, while others can contain up to 100mg. Regular cigarettes contain 13mg-30mg of nicotine each. Labelling is often vague or misleading.
IMAGE: Gippsland Lakes Complete Health prevention and population wellbeing worker, Tehseen Zafar (standing, right) speaks to parents and staff at St Brendan’s Primary School about the dangers of vaping in Lakes Entrance recently. (PS)
