China should set rules for electronic cigarettes, say experts

Chinese experts are calling for regulations to control electronic cigarettes, as the public lacks awareness of the potential health effects of vaping, according to thepaper.cn.

Invented by a Chinese pharmacist in 2003, e-cigarettes are commonly believed to be safer than tobacco cigarettes and may help smokers quit. However, some experts are warning that e-cigarettes are not harmless, and have called into question their usefulness in helping people to stop smoking.

E-cigarettes usually contain nicotine, which makes second-hand smoke from e-cigarettes harmful, according to Zhang Jianshu, president of the Beijing Tobacco Control Association.

Professor Cui Xiaobo, from Capital Medical University, said that e-cigarettes can be an ineffective smoking cessation aid. This is because breaking the addiction to smoking involves breaking the addiction to nicotine, which is found in both regular cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Professor Cui also said that research shows young people start using e-cigarettes because they are fashionable, but then often start smoking regular cigarettes as a consequence.

There are currently no regulations on e-cigarettes in China when it comes to tobacco control, healthcare or production management. Further, the use of e-cigarettes is not prohibited in public places, because the device is not categorised as a tobacco product.

The general public has started to pay more attention to the use of e-cigarettes following several high profile incidents. Last month, an Air China co-pilot sent a plane into an emergency descent after he turned off the its air supply so he could use an e-cigarette. Earlier this week, a passenger used an e-cigarette in a Beijing subway carriage, sparking complaints.

"We are currently calling for the relevant departments to introduce a regulation to standardise and control e-cigarettes, and make it prohibited like tobacco is in public places," said Zhang Jianshu.

Some individual cities have taken steps to regulate e-cigarettes. In one example, authorities in Hangzhou have included inhaling or exhaling harmful vapour in its official definition of smoking.