電子たばこは有害、ＷＨＯ報告書「疑いの余地なし」

【ジュネーブＡＦＰ＝時事】国連の世界保健機関（WHO）が21日、電子たばこが使用者だけでなく、電子たばこから出る蒸気にさらされる第三者にも害を及ぼすとの報告書を発表した。WHOは、電子たばこは成長過程の胎児の健康や10代の若者の脳に影響を及ぼす可能性があると警告している。（写真は資料写真）
　正式には「電子ニコチン送達システム」と呼ばれる電子たばこは、メーカーおよび一部の政府から、従来のたばこのより安全な代替品、さらには禁煙のための手段として推奨されてきた。
　だが、ＷＨＯは電子たばこについて強い表現を用いたＱ＆Ａ形式の報告書の中で、電子たばこが喫煙者の禁煙を助けると主張するのに十分な証拠はないが、安全でないことを示す明らかな証拠はあると指摘した。
　また、「電子たばこが健康に有害で、安全でないことは疑問の余地がない」として、「電子たばこの使用や電子たばこへの暴露の長期的影響について明確な答えを提供するのは時期尚早だ」とも強調している。
　ＷＨＯはさらに、電子たばこの青年期での使用は特に危険性が高いと指摘している。報告書では、ニコチンは常習性が高く、若者の脳は２０代半ばまで成長し続けるため、「ニコチンへの暴露は長時間にわたって損傷作用を及ぼす恐れがある」と記された。
　若者の間で電子たばこの人気が急上昇している中、こうした懸念が世界的に高まっている。さらには、電子たばこの使用がより有害な製品から１０代若者を遠ざけていることを示す証拠はほとんどなく、逆に従来型のたばこの喫煙につながっていることも指摘された。
　今回のＷＨＯ報告書について、一部の専門家からは怒りの声が上がっている。英ロンドン大学クイーンメアリー校たばこ依存研究部門を統括するピーター・ハジェク氏は、これを「反電子たばこ運動」と表現した。
　ハジェク氏はツイッターへの書き込みで、報告書には誤りが数多く含まれており、「デマ情報を用いて、喫煙者がより危険性の低い代替品に切り替えることができなくなるようにした責任を取るべきだ」と非難した。この書き込みは、米たばこ大手フィリップモリスにリツイートされた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2020/01/23-09:38）

Electronic cigarettes are harmful both to users and bystanders exposed to the fumes, the World Health Organization says in a report warning they can damage growing foetuses and impact teenagers' brains.
So-called electronic nicotine delivery systems, or ENDS, have been pushed by producers as well as some governments as a safer alternative to smoking, and as a path to kicking the habit.
But in a strongly-worded series of questions and answers about such e-cigarettes, the UN health agency said there was not enough evidence to say they help smokers quit, but that there was clear evidence they are dangerous.
There is no doubt that they are harmful to health and are not safe, WHO said in one answer, stressing though that it is too early to provide a clear answer on the long-term impact of using them or being exposed to them.
The battery-powered devices that enable users to inhale addictive nicotine liquids and exhale vapor are particularly risky when used by adolescents, WHO said, strengthening initial warnings it made in 2019.
Nicotine is highly addictive and young people?s brains develop up to their mid-twenties, it said in a document published Tuesday, stressing that exposure to nicotine can have long-lasting, damaging effects.
This is of high concern amid skyrocketing popularity of vaping among young people in many countries.
At the same time, there is little indication that using e-cigarettes is keeping teens away from more harmful products, with the WHO pointing out that those using ENDS are more likely to smoke conventional cigarettes.
- 'Significant risks' -
And it said that for pregnant women, ENDS pose significant risks as they can damage the growing foetus.
Amid growing fears over serious health consequences linked to e-cigarette use, WHO warned that so-called vaping increases the risk of heart disease and lung disorders.
The United States especially has seen a major health crisis tied to vaping: an acute lung illness epidemic that has killed more than 50 people and sickened more than 2,500 in the United States.
The illness was later linked to a substance called vitamin E acetate, which is used as a thickening agent for vaping products containing the main psychoactive substance of cannabis -- THC -- that are often sold on the black market.
At least five other countries have initiated investigations to identify cases of lung injuries related to e-cigarette use, WHO said.
The UN health agency also said second-hand exposure to e-cigarette fumes was harmful, pointing out that the aerosols typically contain toxic substances, including glycol which is used to make antifreeze.
ENDS pose risks to users and non-users, it said, demanding tight regulation of the products, including bans on marketing to young people and on use in indoor workplaces and public spaces.
The WHO document drew ire from some experts, with Peter Hajek, the head of the Tobacco Dependence Research Unit at Queen Mary University of London, accusing it of anti-vaping activism.
In a comment re-tweeted by Philip Morris, he charged that the document was filled with errors and that the authors should take responsibility for using blatant misinformation to prevent smokers from switching to a much less risky alternative.