Member of Parliament and former minister Biren Sikder has demanded the government bans the use of e-cigarettes as it is equally harmful for the human body. He made the demand during a meeting with a delegation of the Tobacco Control Project of the Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM) at his residence at the Nam Bhaban in Dhaka on Monday. DAM project coordinator Md Shariful Islam led the delegation having its members (media manager) Rezaur Rahman Rizvi, and project official Sharmin Aktar Rini. Biren Sikder said that there are many misconceptions about e-cigarettes among the common people. “But it is equally harmful as the conventional cigarettes for the human body. So, it should be immediately banned”, he added. Read: Ban on display, sale of tobacco products on passenger ships demanded He thanked the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for incorporating the issue of banning the e-cigarettes in the proposed amendments to the Tobacco Control Act. He hoped it would be possible to completely free the country from tobacco use by 2040 if the proposed amendments to the existing law are passed by the parliament. Biren Shikder MP said that cigarette companies encourage young people to smoke for their own benefit. But it is a major reason for many diseases. “Since there is no benefit from smoking, non-smokers are equally harmed by second-hand smoke,” he said. The delegation sought his support in passing the draft law prepared by the Ministry of Health to further amend the Tobacco Control Act in the Parliament. Biren Shikder, MP congratulated the delegation for their activities and assured necessary cooperation.  

A number of international cohort studies have confirmed that e-cigarettes are the gateway to many teenagers and young adults developing smoking habits, said Xiao Lin, a researcher at the Tobacco Control Office at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDCP). As e-cigarettes contain nicotine, a widely recognized cause of lung cancer and a number of other serious diseases, the inaccurate labeling of nicotine content by e-cigarette companies can easily cause nicotine overdose among consumers, which could be life-threatening, according to Xiao at a national academic seminar on smoking control. About 10 million Chinese aged 15 or above use e-cigarettes, and the vaping rate among those aged 15 to 24 is the highest among all age groups, while 45.4 percent of e-cigarettes were bought online, Xiao said. China has set a target to reduce the smoking rate among people aged 15 and above to 20 percent by 2030. The rate already dropped to 26.6 percent in 2018 from 27.7 percent in 2015, said a report released by the CCDCP in May.

Dhaka, Oct 3 (UNB) – Expressing concern over the growing consumption of emerging tobacco products like e-cigarette and vaping among the young generation, speakers at a press briefing on Thursday suggested banning their production, import and marketing to save them from danger.

Washington, Sept 12 (AP/UNB) — The federal government will act to ban thousands of flavors used in e-cigarettes, President Donald Trump said Wednesday, responding to a recent surge in underage vaping that has alarmed parents, politicians and health authorities nationwide.

Dhaka, July 27 (UNB) - Eight teens were hospitalized in July with seriously damaged lungs in Wisconsin, the state Department of Health Services reported Thursday, reports CNN.