Government urged to designate vaping areas

USERS of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), or e-cigarettes, are requesting local government units to enact legislation that will identify and assign designated vaping areas (DVAs), similar to the newly approved Pasig City Ordinance 07 Series of 2019.

The ordinance, entitled “Regulating the Use and Sale of Vaporized and Heated Tobacco Products in Public Places and Public Conveyances, Advertisements and Promotions, and Providing Penalties Therefore,” requires a DVA to be in an open space, or a room with proper ventilation but must be separate from a location that has already been identified as a designated smoking area (DSA).

According to Joey Dulay, president of the Philippine E-Cigarette Industry Association (PECIA), the identification and assignment of DVAs protects e-cigarette users from the harmful effects of cigarette smoking, including exposure to second and thirdhand smoke.

“Vaping is not smoking,” Dulay stated. “It is therefore counterproductive to continue to expose e-cigarette users to the harms of secondhand smoke.” The creation of DVAs will also help vape users use their devices more responsibly, and protect nonsmokers from being exposed to secondhand vapor.”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 harmful and potentially harmful chemicals (HPHCs). Some of these toxic chemical compounds are ammonia, benzene, beryllium, formaldehyde and cadmium, all of which, through continuous exposure, can induce various respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses, as well as cancer.

Aerosol emissions produced by vaping products, on the other hand, have been reported to contain significantly less HPHCs.

“We strongly encourage the government to immediately approve the fair and equitable regulation of the ENDS category, in cognizance of the products’ harm reduction potential, so that the welfare of both vapers and nonsmokers are duly provided for. As examples from other countries show, a pragmatic approach to e-cigarettes lead to a sharp decline in cigarette sales, and a significant reduction in smoking prevalence,” Dulay said.

Countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, France and New Zealand are among those with governments that have regulated the availability and use of ENDS, positioning them as less harmful alternatives for smokers that are finding it difficult in quitting nicotine use. As a result, their respective smoking rates have fallen dramatically, whereas smoking rates in countries where e-cigarettes are banned remain high.