Vapes have hospitalized more than 20 children in the past two years, shocking figures reveal.
Admission rates for ‘vaping-related conditions’ among people in their 20s have also increased six-fold overall over the same period.
It comes amid an exploding e-cigarette epidemic among young people, which the government has pledged to eradicate.
Use among teenagers has almost doubled in ten years.
Since the start of 2022, there have been 24 vaping-related hospitalizations for children under the age of 10.
Admission rates for ‘vaping-related conditions’ among people in their 20s have also increased six-fold overall over the same period. It comes amid an exploding e-cigarette epidemic among young people, which the government has pledged to eradicate
NHS Digital data, based on the Smoking, Drinking and Drugs Among Young People in England Survey for the year 2021, showed that 30 per cent of children in Yorkshire and the Humber have used a vape
This is up from two in the same period two years ago, according to figures obtained by The Times under freedom of information requests.
More than 1,000 admissions have been registered in all age groups since the beginning of 2020.
These may include lung damage or a worsening of asthma symptoms.
Dr. Mike McKean, vice-president for policy at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), said: ‘Just as bold action is needed to tackle smoking, so too is it necessary to tackle the rise in vaping among young people.
“We would once again remind the government that nothing less than a ban on these unsustainable products will adequately protect our children.”
Sir Stephen Powis, medical director of NHS England, warned that ‘NHS staff will have to spend even more time responding to this growing problem’.
Professor Nicholas Hopkinson, from the charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said: ‘While this is not on the scale of passive smoking, which sees around 5,000 children admitted to hospital in this country every year, any hospital admission would be a concern.
‘The simple message is that the growing lungs need clean air.
‘In young people, vaping can cause irritation of the airways in the lungs and worsen asthma. We know what helped reduce the number of smokers in the early teens.
“Vaping needs the same approach, with steps being taken to reduce the affordability, accessibility and appeal of vaping and to keep it out of the hands of children.”
It is illegal to sell vapes – which can contain high doses of nicotine – to under-18s.
Data released earlier this year showed that 11.6 percent of 11 to 17-year-olds in Britain have now tried vaping.
This figure was 7.7 percent last year and is twice as high as ten years ago.
Social media is filled with posts from teens showing off colored vapes and discussing flavors like pink lemonade, strawberry, banana and mango.
As a result, campaigners have urged ministers to urgently crack down on the child-friendly marketing of the gadgets.
Rishi Sunak promised this year to consider banning attractive flavors and packaging. Disposable vapes, a favorite among teens, are also in the line of fire.
Colorful displays of the gadgets, which retail for just £5, are currently hitting high streets across the UK.
Tests on e-cigarettes seized from young people showed that they contained dangerous levels of lead, nickel and chromium. Some were almost ten times above safe limits. Exposure to lead can hinder brain development, while the other two metals can cause blood clotting
E-cigarettes allow people to inhale nicotine in a vapor, which is produced by heating a liquid, which typically contains propylene glycol, glycerin, flavorings and other chemicals.
Unlike traditional cigarettes, they do not contain tobacco or produce tar or carbon – two of the most dangerous elements.
Although widely seen as safer than smoking, the long-term effects of vaping still remain a mystery.
Doctors have expressed fears that a wave of lung disease, dental problems and even cancer could occur in the coming decades in people who started the habit at a young age.
MailOnline revealed this year that e-cigarettes have been linked to five deaths in Britain.
None of the fatalities, all of which have occurred since 2010, have been proven to have been directly caused by vaping. No age was given for any of the deaths.
But health chiefs charged with overseeing the safety of e-cigarettes admit there is ‘a suspicion’ the gadgets could be to blame.
Two were attributed to cardiac conditions, including one cardiac arrest.
The other three deaths were attributed to respiratory complications, one of which was caused by inhaling fat – a known potential consequence of vaping.