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Crackdown on vapes after state records shocking number of toddlers smoking

Victoria has recorded an alarming number of toddlers ingesting nicotine from vapes. In the last year, Health Minister Mark Butler said that 50 children under four were recorded vaping, and that it is now the biggest behavioural issue in primary schools across the country. “The Victorian poisons hotline has reported that in the last 12 months, more than 50 children under the age of four have had to be reported to the hotline because of the dangerous ingestion of nicotine,” Butler told ABC Radio. “This is now the biggest behavioural issue in primary schools,” he added. Health ministers across the country are looking for ways to implement greater import and enforcement controls after the use of vapes has exploded in recent years, despite current regulations. Last year, a new rule was enforced where nicotine vapes were only available with a prescription. However a black market has emerged, and this market primarily targets children. “This is an industry shamelessly marketing, not just to teenagers but to young children. When you look at these things, pink unicorns and bubblegum flavours aren’t marketed to adults,” Butler said. The Health Minister also added that the multi-million dollar industry is threatening to undo all the hard work dedicated to phase out smoking. “This is an industry that is trying to create a new generation of nicotine addicts so they get around all of the hard work our country and other countries have done over recent decades to stamp out smoking,” he said. Butler used the example of a “very young” child who had been found with an “insidious” vape in her pencil case, in an attempt to disguise it as a highlighter. Earlier this month footage of an <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/jail-them-fury-after-baby-forced-to-vape-while-family-laughs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">11-month-old baby boy smoking a vape</a> went viral, when the distressed child was seen struggling for air as his teenage mother laughed at him. Butler said that when it comes to cracking down on the industry, “all options were on the table,” including better import and sales control. Butler refuses to normalise e-cigarettes, something that has been proposed by David Littleproud, the leader of the Nationals party. Butler said: “We can’t just say oh, well, it’s all too hard, let’s just normalise it because we know why these products exist”. “These products are pushed so hard by the tobacco industry because they want to create a pathway back to cigarettes.” Butler also cited research that showed that those who vape are three times as likely to take up cigarettes. Image: Getty, Facebook

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Young mum speaks after baby vape clip and ensuing death threats

The teenage mum has spoken out about the disturbing footage of her 11-month-old baby vaping that surfaced online. The 16-year-old says she regrets the incident and was unaware the incident was being filmed. She was seen laughing in the footage when her baby was forced to smoke the vape, causing him to cough severely. The video was widely condemned on social media. Officers from the NSW Mid North Coast Police District went to the house in Kempsey following a “concern-for-welfare-report” for the baby. The check was called for due to the footage online, which showed the baby’s aunty holding the vape to his mouth. In one video, a woman can be heard asking the 11-month-old, “want to try?” before putting the vape in his mouth, while in a second clip, a woman is seen laughing as the baby coughs out the toxic vapour. The Daily Telegraph reported that the child’s mother called the incident a “silly joke”. “I wish I didn’t do it, but I never meant to hurt him. I would never hurt him,” she told the outlet. “It was just a silly joke, I put the vape up near him and I never thought he would grab it, I thought he‘d push it away.” "I know I did the wrong thing, but what people are saying to me and writing is full on, I don't deserve that." NSW Police did not press charges against the mother. They said in a statement that “no further action will be taken”. A spokesperson from NSW police said, “Police have now spoken with the child’s family and – following advice provided by medical professionals and other governmental agencies – no further police action will be taken.” The decision not to press charges comes amid horrified social media users demanding that the baby be taken from his mother. “Who gives their kid a vape, grow up and be a better mother,” one user said. “How can you put the vape up to your own son’s mouth and watch him suck on it and laugh while he’s choking and coughing.” The mother commented on one of the clips, “Every c*** got the hide to sit there and talk about me and my child, take a look in yas own backyard,” “You ain’t perfect either so keep that mouth going you ain’t scary, you’re nothing but bums.” For parents who believe their child has inhaled smoke from a vape, experts recommend seeking medical advice from the poisons hotline or visiting an emergency room. Image credit: Facebook

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“It’s honestly putrid”: Family outrage for vaping baby

Family members of the baby boy who was forced to vape have added their voices to the roar condemning the viral video. The clip shows the 11-month-old baby coughing and breathing out smoke after having the vape placed in his mouth by who is reported to be his own aunt, with his mother watching on in amusement. <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/jail-them-fury-after-baby-forced-to-vape-while-family-laughs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">People were horrified</a>, with many calling for those responsible to face time behind bars. And although relatives aren’t pushing for punishment, they have since come out and shared their disgust over the dangerous incident, with one calling for threats against the family to end, telling the concerned that “there’s no need for the violence.” “It’s honestly putrid,” one family member told 7News, “like, I will not say that it’s not, because it is. I removed my nephew from that situation.” Another said that watching the video made her sick, but that the mother of the 11 month old was just “trying her best”, putting it down to being a “stupid mistake that she made with a bunch of friends.” In the wake of the video making the rounds online, NSW Police spoke to 7News, outlining their own response and sharing the steps they’d taken in checking on the baby. They had visited the home of the mother and baby after receiving a “concern-for-welfare” report, but the pair had already left and gone interstate. Police then declared that they will not be pressing charges over the vile act. “Police have now spoken with the child’s family,” a statement from them read. “And following advice provided by medical professionals and other governmental agencies, no further police action will be taken.” Chris Minns, NSW’s opposition leader, had a different approach, sharing that he was not against implementing tougher laws in response, and deemed the content “very troubling footage.” “We’ll look at legislative change if it’s needed,” he added, “this is abhorrent and shouldn’t happen.” “It’s incredibly alarming to see that video of that poor child,” the Lung Foundation’s Paige Preston agreed while speaking to 7News. “This is a massive concern,” she said, “because it does normalise vaping, it makes light of something that is incredibly dangerous to children and adults.” Preston went on to explain that evidence tells them vaping can cause long damage in both the short and long term, echoing the fears of many online who had spoken up against the video. The baby’s mother, however, doesn’t seem interested in listening to the masses, telling those in a Facebook comment section, “you ain’t perfect either so keep that mouth going you ain’t scary, you’re nothing but bums.” Images: 7News

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"Jail them": Fury after baby forced to vape while family laughs

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT A disturbing video of an 11-month-old baby boy smoking a vape has surfaced online, sparking outrage among locals. In the footage, a mother from Kempsey on the NSW mid-north coast is shown watching on and smiling as the baby’s aunt places the vape into his mouth. In the background, other people, which are believed to be family, are seen laughing at the sinister act as the baby coughs and breathes out the smoke. <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nMkThvua9M0" width="560" height="314" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Although the family seemed to be enjoying the baby’s distress, hundreds were furious by the footage when it surfaced online. “Who gives their kid a vape, grow up and be a better mother,” one person said. “How can you put the vape up to your own son’s mouth and watch him suck on it and laugh while he’s choking and coughing.” Angered viewers added they were “disgusted” by the family’s action. “It’s terrible, everyone can’t believe it. Why would you give a young baby, a vape?” a local said 7NEWS. "Disgusting... I can’t believe this,” another said. Experts say not only is the baby in the video at risk but other children could also be exposed if this kind of behaviour is normalised. “It is incredibly alarming to see that video of that poor child,” Paige Preston from the Lung Foundation told 7NEWS. “This is a massive concern because it does normalise vaping, it makes light of something that is incredibly dangerous to children and to adults.” Preston added that research shows e-cigarette use and vaping can lead to lung damage, both short and long-term. 2GB radio host Ben Fordham also weighed in on the sinister act on his talk show, saying, “What is wrong with people? Your brains must be fried.” “Whoever is responsible should spend some time behind bars!” he added. Comments posted with the video suggest the 1-month-old boy has been taken to hospital. It’s not clear if he is suffering any symptoms or if he was just there for observation. Experts suggest parents should seek medical advice from the poisons hotline or the emergency room if they believe a child has ingested smoke from a vape. Police told 7News they are aware of the video, and there is an investigation underway. Image credit: Facebook

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Young mum shocked by dire discovery in daughter's schoolbag

A Perth mother has recounted her horror at discovering a vape in her 12-year-old daughter’s schoolbag. Mother of three Sarah Goodyear’s day only went from bad to worse when she learned that not only was her daughter using the electronic cigarette, but that the device had been sold to her at school. “In all honesty, I was mortified,” she told 7News’ Amelia Broun. “It has completely imploded now. We’ve, to some extent, left it a little bit too late.” “There’s a real urgency to it now,” she said, “you would not believe how many teenagers are doing this.” Although Sarah knows she is not alone in her current situation - just last year, a mother in Melbourne found a vape in her 7-year-old’s bag - it is likely to come of little comfort, with experts suggesting that children who vape are three times more likely to pick up a smoking habit later in life. Those same health experts warn that some vape devices can contain the same nicotine content as hundreds of cigarettes, while the chemicals present in different aerosols are not safe for inhalation, and are not worth the damage they will do to organs. “It’s almost like the genie’s got out of the bottle,” Cancer Council Western Australia’s chief executive Ashley Reid reported, “and we’re desperately trying to put it back in. “We don’t want to undo decades of really amazing, world-leading work in tobacco control to let vaping get away from us.” In response to the growing crisis, the Western Australian government has announced it will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a new anti-vaping campaign from the Cancer Council. The online resource, set for release later this year and said to complement existing awareness campaigns, will feature information about the health impacts of vaping, as well as support venues for those who want to quit. Meanwhile, a number of private schools in Perth have gone as far as to install vape detectors in their bathrooms, but public schools have shown no sign of following suit. Some private Perth schools have installed vape detectors in toilets, but that’s not something on the agenda for public schools, despite 9 in 10 Australians supporting tougher vaping regulations. Western Australia’s Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson noted that the state already leads the nation with their vape regulations, as vaping is illegal there without a prescription. “Not only is vaping harmful,” she said, “it often contains harmful substances found in cleaning products, weed killer, nail polish remover and bug spray. “Emerging research has found that non-smokers who use e-cigarettes are three times more likely to go on to smoke tobacco cigarettes.” Images: 7News

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Dad furious as 5-year-old hospitalised after vaping

The father of a five-year-old boy who ended up in hospital weeks after vaping with a classmate at school is demanding tighter restrictions on the nicotine products. Steven, the boy's father, said that a seven-year-old child from the same school brought their mother’s fruit-flavoured vape to school and asked his son to try it. “Another child grabbed his mum’s vape at home, brought it into the schoolyard and asked them to come into the bushes and suck on this, it tastes like grapes,” Steven told 7NEWS. By the end of the school day, the disposable vape was empty and the boy’s parents fear that he had been using it. Three weeks later, the five-year-old began coughing and vomiting and was rushed to Geelong hospital with suspected pneumonia. “(He) couldn’t stop coughing to the point that he was no longer breathing,” Steven said. “I had no choice but to call an ambulance.” The father from Victoria is now demanding tighter restrictions on vapes, which are often marketed with cartoons, fruit and catchy lines. With the goal to out-law this particular marketing strategy for vapes, Steven is calling for better child protection on these devices. “I can’t open a Panadol bottle without some force, as you’d well know, but a child can pick up one of these devices that has nicotine in it,” Steven said. Steven paid almost $3500 to have the vapes analysed in a laboratory, with the preliminary results revealing at least 16 chemicals, including nicotine. In Australia, nicotine vapes are only allowed to be sold with prescriptions. Image: Shutterstock

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Vaping may worsen gum disease risk

A <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1128/mBio.00075-22" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> by a team from the New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry has turned a spotlight on the relationship between e-cigarette use and gum disease, the oral microbiome and the immune system. The gum disease known as periodontitis affects nearly half of all adults over 30 in the United States, while <a href="https://www.adelaide.edu.au/arcpoh/national-study/report/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">about 30% of Australians over 15</a> have moderate or severe periodontitis. Periodontitis causes gums to become inflamed and recede from the teeth, creating pockets where oral bacteria can stimulate further disease. Immune responses can drive inflammation and worsening periodontitis. In severe cases, teeth can loosen or fall out and jaw bones depleted. Cigarette smoking is a well-known risk factor for gum disease, but not a lot is yet known about <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/researchers-link-vaping-to-risk-of-oral-disease/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-type="URL" data-id="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/researchers-link-vaping-to-risk-of-oral-disease/">the impact of e-cigarettes on oral health.</a> “Unlike smoking, which has been studied extensively for decades, we know little about the health consequences of e-cigarette use and are just starting to understand how the unique microbiome promoted by vaping impacts oral health and disease,” explains Scott Thomas, co-first author of the NYU study. The study compared 84 adults who had mild to severe gum disease at the start of the study and used conventional cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or had never smoked either. The results suggest that while e-cigarettes may not be quite as bad for your gums as conventional cigarettes, they’re riskier than not smoking at all. The highest proportion of severe disease was found in the cigarette smoking group, but the e-cigarette group contained more cases of severe disease than the non-smoking group. Matt Hopcraft, an associate professor at the University of Melbourne Dental School and CEO of the Victorian Branch of the Australian Dental Association, says the findings are consistent with current knowledge about the risks of e-cigarettes to oral health. “Although the evidence base is weak, available data suggests an unhealthy impact of vaping on periodontal health,” he says, pointing to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33274850/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a recent systematic review</a>. The NYU study also identified certain groups of bacteria that were significantly elevated in the oral microbiome of e-cigarette users, including genera associated with periodontitis. “Vaping appears to be driving unique patterns in bacteria and influencing the growth of some bacteria in a manner akin to cigarette smoking, but with its own profile and risks to oral health,” says Fangxi Xu, the study’s other co-first author. To complete the picture, the researchers also measured levels of various cytokines – proteins that direct the human immune response. They observed correlations between bacterial groups, cytokine levels and clinical measures of periodontitis severity. For example, the inflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha was significantly elevated among e-cigarette users compared to cigarette smokers and non-smokers, and was also positively correlated with certain bacteria that were more dominant in e-cigarette and conventional cigarette users compared to non-smokers. “We are now beginning to understand how e-cigarettes and the chemicals they contain are changing the oral microbiome and disrupting the balance of bacteria,” says Deepak Saxena, a professor of molecular pathobiology at NYU who co-led the study. “Whilst we know the significant impacts of cigarette smoking on periodontal disease, and links to oral cancers, and the emphasis [is] therefore on assisting patients to quit tobacco, vaping does not appear to be a safe transition away from tobacco,” says Hopcraft. <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=183098&title=Vaping+may+worsen+gum+disease+risk" width="1" height="1" data-spai-target="src" data-spai-orig="" data-spai-exclude="nocdn" /> <div id="contributors"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/medicine/e-cigarette-use-and-gum-disease/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/matilda-handlsey-davis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matilda Handsley-Davis</a>. Matilda is a Science Writer at Cosmos. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from the University of Adelaide. Image: Getty Images </div>

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Crackdown on vapes after state records shocking number of toddlers smoking

Young mum speaks after baby vape clip and ensuing death threats

“It’s honestly putrid”: Family outrage for vaping baby

"Jail them": Fury after baby forced to vape while family laughs

Young mum shocked by dire discovery in daughter's schoolbag

Dad furious as 5-year-old hospitalised after vaping

Vaping may worsen gum disease risk

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