Research, restraint needed on vaping

Australia has been wise, so far, in not bowing to the demands of lobby groups seeking to have federal and state governments ease restrictions on electronic smoking, or vaping, products. The cautious approach should be universally maintained until much more is known about the medical risks of vaping. What was a fad among hipsters only a few years ago has become almost mainstream, especially among young people who, largely, have shunned cigarettes. The common perception is that vaping is ‘‘safer’’ than smoking cigarettes.

But serious medical issues directly associated with vaping are emerging. In the United States,

five people, all of whom used vaping products, have died in recent weeks from a rapid-onset form of the lung disease that has emerged in 33 states.

The problem is that no-one genuinely knows what is happening to users when they subject their respiratory systems to these super-heated chemical concoctions. Legal as the non-nicotine substances might be, significant questions remain about the potentially carcinogenic or medically compromising effects of vaping. Australian health officials must urgently initiate comprehensive research into the rapidly growing habit and closely monitor what US authorities are discovering.

We cannot afford to have another generation affected by debilitating, smoking-related illnesses.