Vapes are all over the place. The candy-coloured sticks and the fruity clouds they create are practically inescapable these days, but there’s been a long-running campaign to get them banned on health and environmental grounds.
And now it’s looking like this year really could be the year that single-use vapes die. The government is poised to issue a ban next week following a report concluding that the highly addictive nicotine-loaded pens are overwhelmingly aimed at kids, with confectionary-themed names like ‘banana milkshake’, ‘bubblegum’ and ‘jelly babies’.
When concerns were raised last year, professor Andrew Bush, a consultant paediatric chest physician at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals, said: ‘I am concerned that we are sleepwalking into a public health catastrophe with a generation of children hooked on nicotine.’
E-cigs are also just downright terrible for the planet. Research by recycling charity Material Focus also found that five million vapes are thrown away every week. It warned that that when discarded irresponsibly, vapes are toxic to animals and other wildlife and can even cause fires thanks to the batteries inside.
The decision is due to be announced in a consultation with the Department of Health and Social Care next week, according to the Telegraph. A spokesperson for the department said: ‘We are concerned about the rise in youth vaping and the environmental impacts of disposable vapes.
‘That is why we launched a call for evidence to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vaping products – and explore where the government can go further. We will set out our response in due course.’
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