Trump calls for ban on flavoured e-cigs
DONALD Trump last night threatened to ban flavoured e-cigarettes after a spate of vaping-related deaths.
Six people have died and 450 have developed lung illnesses linked to the habit across 33 states in recent months.
Many of the 450 cases are young people, with an average age of 19.
Mr Trump said: “A lot of people think vaping is wonderful, it’s great. It’s really not wonderful.
“People are dying with vaping so we’re looking at it very, very closely.”
E-cigs have been available in the US since 2006 and are often used as an aid to quit traditional smokes.
But they are hugely popular among teenagers who makers have targeted with fruit and candy flavours.
Some 3.6 million middle and high school students vaped last year – more than double the year before.
Several teens have been placed in medically induced comas including one whose doctors said he may require a lung transplant if he recovers.
Announcing his crackdown at the White House, the President vowed strong rules to protect “innocent children”, including his 13-year-old son Barron – and revealed his wife Melania had been involved in the discussions.
“We can’t allow people to get sick and we can’t have our youth be so affected,” he said.
“That’s how the First Lady got involved. She’s got a son, that is a beautiful young man and she feels very, very strongly about it. People are going to watch what we’re saying and parents are going be a lot tougher with respect to their children.”
Authorities urged vapers to quit while an investigation is under way.
An estimated 2.9 million UK adults use e-cigarettes.
Public Heath England says we have stricter regulations, meaning deaths are less likely to happen in theory.
In the US, findings suggest chemicals found in two popular vaping flavours could destroy lung function.
Inhaling popcorn and caramel e-cig liquids could increase a vaper’s risk of respiratory diseases.
Popcorn-flavoured liquid is especially harmful, thanks to the chemical diacetyl, which was banned in e-cig liquid in the UK under the EU Tobacco Products Directive in 2016.
On Monday the US Food and Drug Administration warned market-leader JUUL to stop advertising products as a less harmful alternative to smoking.
Shares in Altria, which holds a onethird stake in Juul, dropped 0.8 percent following the announcement.