A person vaping. File photo courtesy of © Can Stock Photo / ScoroplandA person vaping. File photo courtesy of © Can Stock Photo / Scoropland
Chatham

Youth vaping a priority for CK Health Unit

Chatham-Kent is making strides towards combating youth vaping.

During Wednesday's Chatham-Kent Board of Health meeting, several recommendations were approved to help address youth vaping. The recommendations included sending a letter to Health Canada requesting enhanced restrictions on the promotion of vapour products, packaging and warning labels.

"Currently, federal law allows promotions for vapour products on television, radio, billboards, public transit hubs, convenience stores, social media, newspapers and other mainstream media," read a staff report. "Vapour products can contain youth-friendly flavouring. There are no restrictions on nicotine content and vaping solution ingredients are not regulated."

The recommendations also include having a letter sent to the Ministry of Health requesting removal of exemptions to the Smoke-Free Ontario Act (SFOA), which currently allows for the promotion and display of vapour products in retail environments. The letter requests that the promotion of vapour related products be aligned with the restrictions that are in place with tobacco. Some restrictions currently in place for tobacco sales include no advertising or promotion except as permitted, no additives or flavours expect as permitted, plain packaging, and large health warnings on packaging.

It's also recommended that local bylaws be strengthed to restrict outdoor advertising and promotion of vapour products at retail locations accessible to youth audiences. According to the report, 96 per cent of gas stations and convenience stores in Chatham-Kent have at least one item promoting vaping visible from outside the establishment.

"Provincially, the SFOA contains regulations for 'specialty vape stores' that limit display and promotion of vapour products to within the retail establishment and restrict any person under the age of 19 from entering these establishments. However, convenience stores, gas stations and other retailers not defined as specialty vape stores are not subject to the same restrictions on display and promotion," staff explained in the report.

CK Public Health staff have been working collaboratively over the last several months with five local high schools and one elementary school to address vaping on school campuses. From January 2019 to June 2019, 24 fines were issued for vaping in prohibited areas in and around area schools.

In September's board meeting, Dr. David Colby, medical officer of health with the Chatham-Kent Health Unit, said youth vaping has become one of the most rapidly changing concerns and it is changing every day. During Wednesday's meeting, he provided the latest updates on the issue including on the topic of severe pulmonary disease linked to vaping.

"The syndrome of severe lung injury now has a name. It's been officially called EVALI, which is e-cigarette or vaping associated lung injury," said Colby. "Scientists and epidemiologists across the world are trying to determine what the exact cause of this is. I think part of it is to get a better case definition."

According to Colby, a recent case of a London teenager, believed to have ended up on life-support because of a vaping-related respiratory illness, was actually not a case of EVALI. Although the exact cause of vaping associated lung injury continues to puzzle health officials across the globe, Colby said he's confident that there will soon be answers.

"It seems to be strangely absent in the United Kingdom, where vaping is even more pervasive than here. So they will determine the cause of this. The latest suspected culprit, which I can't confirm, are flavouring agents in vaping solutions," he said. "I will report back to the board when more is known about why this happens."

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