At a recent workshop on tobacco harm prevention, Ms. Tran Thi Trang, Director of the Health Insurance Department ( Ministry of Health ) affirmed that the above statements of the tobacco industry are completely wrong. Specifically, the World Health Organization (WHO) concluded: “All types of tobacco are harmful, including e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, and there is no evidence to prove that e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products are less harmful than conventional tobacco products. The statement “E-cigarettes are 95% less harmful and safer than conventional cigarettes” has no scientific basis.
Director of the Health Insurance Department Tran Thi Trang shares about misconceptions about e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products
The Lancet pointed out that this was just “the opinion of a small group of individuals with no expertise in tobacco control”. There was a conflict of interest because two of the experts who made the statement were consultants to tobacco distributors and manufacturers.
The claim that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the heated tobacco product (IQOS by PMI) as a reduced risk product is untrue. IQOS has only been determined by the US FDA to be a modified/reduced exposure product, not a reduced risk product. The FDA does not allow IQOS to be marketed or advertised as a reduced risk product. At the same time, it clearly states that IQOS does not meet the risk modification standards.
Meanwhile, in PMI’s filing with the FDA, PMI itself admitted: Switching to IQOS has not been proven to reduce the risk of tobacco-related diseases, compared to traditional cigarettes. In addition, HeatSticks contain nicotine and are addictive; using the IQOS system can be harmful to health.
Ms. Tran Thi Trang also said that e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products have the same risk of causing chronic diseases as regular cigarettes. Specifically, respiratory diseases due to decreased lung function due to obstruction; cardiovascular diseases due to vascular dysfunction, arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease, hypertension and stroke; cancer because e-cigarettes/heated tobacco products damage DNA, increasing the risk of cancer and increasing resistance to chemotherapy; oral diseases such as gingivitis, tooth decay, bone loss around the teeth, damage to the oral mucosa, increasing the risk of oral infections; digestive diseases with symptoms of epigastric pain, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea and gastrointestinal bleeding, ulcerative colitis.
In addition, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products have many acute health effects that can cause death, such as vaping-associated acute lung injury (EVALI). According to statistics in the US, as of early 2020, a total of 2,807 cases of EVALI were hospitalized and reported to the CDC in 50 states. Of these, 68 deaths were confirmed in 29 states; 15% of hospitalizations were under 18 years old; 37% were 18-24 years old; median age was 24.
Regarding the risk of fire and explosion, the devices in electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco can break down, malfunction and explode, causing serious injuries to the mouth, face, neck, eyes, nose, jawbone, property loss, etc. The world has reported a case of an electronic cigarette battery exploding in the mouth of a 17-year-old boy, forcing him to have surgery to fix his bones, remove damaged teeth and tissue; and severely damage his left jawbone.
According to the Acting Director of the Health Insurance Department, new tobacco products do not have the effect of quitting smoking conventional cigarettes. At the FCTC/COP7 conference, it was affirmed: There is no scientific evidence to prove that e-cigarettes can help quit smoking. On the contrary, evidence from other countries shows that people who use e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products are at risk of using conventional cigarettes at the same time. For example, in the US: According to statistics from the US CDC, most people who use e-cigarettes to quit smoking cannot quit, instead they continue to use both e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes at the same time (US CDC). In Japan and South Korea: 2/3 of people who use heated tobacco products in Japan, and 96.2% of people who use heated tobacco products in South Korea use both e-cigarettes and cigarettes at the same time. There are 8 countries that regulate tobacco products like pharmaceuticals: Tobacco companies can apply for registration of their use in quitting smoking if they have sufficient evidence. However, to date no applications have been submitted.
“The Health Insurance Fund is spending a lot on diseases related to non-communicable diseases, of which cancer and cardiovascular diseases account for a large proportion of current health insurance costs. People are paying for health insurance to pay for diseases that could have been prevented. Use that money to pay for other diseases,” said Ms. Trang, emphasizing the need for early, remote prevention of diseases caused by lifestyle and behavior such as using e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.
QUYNH HOA
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