This is an alarming situation and we don’t want this situation to worsen in the absence of proper control,” he said.Īlthough most of the current studies on vaping focus on its short-term impact on health as it only entered the global market in 2004, it will not be wrong to assume its effects will worsen with long-term use considering the chemical exposures that may result from vaping.Ī 2021 US study titled “Characterising the Chemical Landscape in Commercial E-Cigarette Liquids and Aerosols by Liquid Chromatography-High-Resolution” found that e-cigarette aerosol contains over 2,000 types of chemical substances that may be hazardous to health.Ĭiting a US report titled “A Systematic Review of Health Effects of Electronic Cigarettes”, Dr Suhazeli said it is proven that the use of vape products can cause damage to human cells as well as various health complications due to the reactions from the mixture of chemical substances found in the vape liquids. “Imagine, within a period of (nearly) 10 years (since 2015 when vape products became available commercially in this country), a new disease EVALI has emerged. “It was reported recently that a 16-year-old girl with a three-year vaping history had died, with the probable cause of death being EVALI. This year alone, seven such cases were reported, five of them involving children.Ĭommenting on this, Dr Suhazeli said although vaping is relatively new compared to conventional smoking, studies on the use of vape products have already been carried out locally and overseas, with more and more of them showing evidence of their harmful effects.
In Malaysia, the National Poison Centre recorded 77 poisoning cases due to nicotine exposure from e-cigarettes from 2015 till last year. In the United States, more than 2,800 people were hospitalised with EVALI in 2019 and early 2020, and at least 68 deaths were recorded. Health director-general Datuk Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan told the media so far this month (June), MoH has received 17 cases related to e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI), a severe pulmonary illness. Until the new law is passed, the public will continue to be exposed to the health hazards posed by e-cigarettes or vape.
“The Bill has to be passed and the new law implemented, failing which the nation risks producing a (new) generation of nicotine addicts,” he told Bernama.ĭr Suhazeli, who has been vocal on social media on issues related to vaping, said the Bill may only be debated and passed at the next Dewan Rakyat meeting in October. In the wake of current developments, he and other experts are hoping the government will defer the exemption of liquid nicotine from the list of controlled substances pending the passage of the proposed Bill. According to a study done by MoH (Ministry of Health), the public is also hoping (for the Bill to be passed) but it has yet to become a reality.” In fact, some of the experts suggested that the meeting be extended by a few more days to enable the Bill concerned to be debated and passed immediately.įamily medicine specialist Dr Suhazeli Abdullah said: “There are no clear laws or regulations in this country governing the sale and purchase of vape and this is why we (health experts and NGOs) are hoping the (Control of Smoking Products for Public Health) the Bill will be passed (as soon as possible). The current meeting of the Dewan Rakyat, which started on May 22, ended yesterday. The Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Bill 2023 was tabled at the Dewan Rakyat for first reading by Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa on Monday (June 12) but she later announced it will be referred to the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Health for further scrutiny.
They told Bernama the decision to refer the Bill to the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Health must be followed up with urgent measures to protect the health of the community particularly children as currently there is no law in place to control the threat posed by electronic cigarettes or vape. KUALA LUMPUR (June 16): Fresh from their disappointment over the delay in the passing of the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Bill 2023, aimed at, among others, controlling the sale and purchase of tobacco products and tobacco substitutes and smoking devices such as vape, health experts and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are urging the government to suspend the exemption of liquid nicotine from the list of controlled substances under the Poisons Act 1952. A vape seller arranges a selection of products on a counter.
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