Bahrain witness rise in adults vaping inside cars with kids present

TDT | Manama    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Report by Zahra Ayaz

In a disturbing and growing trend in Bahrain, an increasing number of adults and youngsters are engaging in vaping inside cars, often with children present.

Such behaviour not only exposes impressionable young minds to harmful habits but also poses serious health risks to their developing bodies, say health experts.

Though not as harmful to the body as a traditional cigarette, e-cigarettes too contain potentially toxic substances and emit harmful particles and chemicals that negatively affect the surrounding air quality, says a prominent pulmonologist.

Speaking to The Daily Tribune, Dr. Shamil PK from Bahrain Specialist Hospital explained that studies have demonstrated that e-cigarette emissions contain harmful substances that compromise the air quality around a person vaping and thus expose the people around them to passive vaping.

Studies show that the vapour from an e-cigarette contains particulate matter (PM) 2.5 and PM 10, total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), carbon dioxide, propylene glycol, heavy metals, and nicotine, the doctor said.

Further, Dr. Shamil advises that exposure to passive vaping should be minimised, especially for vulnerable populations such as children, pregnant women, and individuals with cardiovascular or pulmonary diseases.

Pregnant women should particularly take care to avoid exposure to passive vaping as studies have indicated an increased risk of adverse obstetric outcomes, including foetal death, the doctor warned.

More studies are still being done to gain more insight into the health effects of passive vaping, the doctor said while referring to a study called the VAPE trial on the impact of passive vaping on vascular health that is in the recruitment phase.

Though e-cigarettes are often portrayed as a safer alternative to traditional smoking, the concerns raised by health experts about passive vaping call for exercising caution, especially for those in vulnerable health categories.