You may have already heard about some of the commotion surrounding e-cigarettes in the US. Well, it’s not just there that e-cigarettes are coming under fire; Dutch lung specialists are also calling for a ban on them in the Netherlands.
Dutch lung specialists are calling for a total ban on e-cigarettes in the Netherlands, especially in the face of mounting evidence that they are a danger to health. According to Leon van den Toorn, chairman of the Dutch Association for Doctors specialising in Pulmonary Diseases and Tuberculosis (NVALT), at least eight people have ended up at the lung specialist (pulmonologist) with complaints after using e-cigarettes. One of these people even ended up in hospital, in the intensive care unit.
Those reporting to doctors after using e-cigarettes were coughing up blood or suffering from severe asthma, amongst other things. After the NVALT’s appeal, several others who had experienced ailments after using e-cigarettes, but had not yet consulted a lung specialist, came forward.
E-cigarettes were discussed at the European pulmonologist congress in Madrid last week. The conclusion on the matter was clear: e-cigarettes need to go. Van den Toorn states that, “under no circumstances should the e-cigarette be recommended. The frequently heard remark that e-cigarettes are 95 percent less harmful is not based on any scientific evidence. It seems that only a few people manage to quit smoking by using the e-cigarette.”
Back in the US, a huge debate over e-cigarettes has been going on for a while. According to the American health service CDC, as of October 1, 2019, 1.080 lung injury cases and 18 confirmed deaths associated with e-cigarettes have been reported. Worryingly, 80 percent of the patients are under 35-years-old.
The question remains whether a ban will be put in place in the Netherlands or not. State Secretary for Public Health, Paul Blokhuis can’t simply issue a total ban, as he has to deal with European rules. However, he has said that he wants to do everything we can to further reduce smoking and e-smoking.