Vape campaign in Australia exposes what’s really inside e-cigarettes

A confrontational government ad warning about the dangers of vaping features an e-cigarette labeled “insect killer” and the caption: “Do you know what you’re vaping?”

The National Health and Medical Research Council released a report on e-cigarettes on Thursday, sounding the alarm for the more than two million Australians who have tried the smoking alternative.

New tests show that vapes can contain hundreds of dangerous chemicals found in cleaning products, nail polish remover, weed killer and bug spray.

Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly warned that ‘e-cigarettes cause significant harm’ – making it even more dangerous than traditional tobacco.

“Please discuss this evidence with your children, your cousins, students, players on your football or netball team, your siblings – we need that conversation out there,” he said.

“We need these things as barbecue stoppers.”

Medical experts are particularly concerned about teen vaping use with flavors like bubble gum, dental floss, fruit loops, gummy bears and apple pie, enticing young people in and becoming addicted.

The report shows that one in five Australians aged 18 to 24 have tried e-cigarettes, while five percent use e-cigarettes regularly.

The battery-powered devices work by heating the liquid inside and producing an aerosol that can be inhaled.

But the vapor – once touted as a safer alternative to cigarettes – is made up of several ‘carcinogenic’ chemicals such as heavy metals – even if they are labeled ‘nicotine-free’.

Other risks include cardiovascular disease and mental illness.

An anti-vape campaign launched at the same time by the NSW government warned against the misconception that vaping is harmless.

“Vapes are not water. The main ingredient in vapes is propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin or glycerol,” the online ad reads.

Vaping can contain the same harmful chemicals found in cleaning products, nail polish remover, weed killer and bug spray. They just don’t put it on the package.

‘Tests have shown that vapes labeled ‘nicotine-free’ can have high nicotine levels. People may think they are using nicotine-free vaping and can unknowingly quickly develop a nicotine addiction.”

Under current law, it is illegal to buy liquid nicotine without a doctor’s prescription, treating the product as an alternative to anti-smoking drugs such as nicotine patches and chewing gum.

A long-held claim by e-cigarette proponents has been that vaping can be an important tool that can help smokers quit.

Proponents of the product, including lobbyists Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates, say e-cigarettes should be made more readily available as a smoking cessation tool.

But the report found no evidence that vaping helps smokers quit for good.

“There is limited evidence that e-cigarettes are effective in helping smokers quit,” said Professor Kelly.

“Only one in three people who used e-cigarettes reported using them to help quit smoking, so most people use them recreationally.”