Press Release: Immediate steps must be taken to protect our youths from the harm of emerging Tobacco products or e-cigarettes. E-cigarettes are not made in Bangladesh, but all are imported. And the government does not get much revenue from it. Therefore, importing e-cigarettes into the country can be banned in all respects.
The Information Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud said this while addressing a roundtable titled “Emerging Tobacco Products and Bangladesh: Doing in the Present Context” organized by the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh on Friday.
Founder and President of the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh, National Professor Brigadier (rtd) Abdul Malik, presided over the roundtable meeting. Foundations’ Secretary General Professor Khandaker Abdul Awal (Rizvi) presented the welcome note.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Shamim Haider Patwari MP said that e-cigarettes have not yet been included in the prevailing tobacco control law in Bangladesh. It is important to take immediate legal action to save future generations from this.
Speakers at the open discussion, facilitated by Professor Sohel Reza Choudhury, Head, Dept. of Epidemiology & Research, said e-cigarette sales were banned in 23 countries, including India and Sri Lanka, and under strict control in 41 countries due to potential health risks. Since e-cigarettes are not a direct tobacco product, it is difficult to bring them under the control of existing tobacco control law in Bangladesh. Unless there is a law, it is important to ban e-cigarette marketing through online shops. At the same time, steps must be taken to stop its import.
The World Health Organization has suggested controlling e-cigarettes as a serious threat to public health. Chemicals used in e-cigarettes can cause long-term damage to the respiratory system. It contains various chemicals such as microorganisms, heavy metals and formaldehyde which cause various complex diseases including cancer, heart diseases. Nicotine in e-cigarettes’ is extremely dangerous for infants and pregnant mothers. This high level of nicotine destroys the stem cells of the nervous system and causes various neurodegenerative disorders, including premature aging. Nicotine also increases the risk of heart disease.
The use of e-cigarettes has been increasing alarmingly throughout the globe. Its use in Bangladesh is increasing as well. According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2017 about 2 lac people in Bangladesh use e-cigarettes regularly and 4 lac people have used them at least once.
Mahamud Setu
Media manager, Anti-tobacco Program
National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh। #
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