Denmark’s Health minister no fan of electronic cigarettes

Growing use of e-cigarettes creating concern as studies link them to disease

If Nick Hækkerup, the health minister, has his way, parliament will soon be taking action to curb the increasing use of electronic cigarettes. “It concerns me that children are using strawberry and licorice flavoured e-cigarettes,” Hækkerup wrote in a statement to parliament’s committee on health. “It doesn’t matter whether or not they contain nicotine, it is still a concern.” Hækkerup called on parliament to begin discussing possible regulation of the use of electronic cigarettes.

Not as safe as houses

Studies have shown that e-cigarettes can cause damage to the respiratory tract and that they do contain small amounts of carcinogens.

The research is however preliminary and Socialdemokraterne health spokesperson Flemming Møller Mortensen said that it is too soon to sound the alarm.

“It is hard to regulate when we know as little as we do now,” he told DR Nyheder. Niels Them Kjær, spokesperson for Kræftens Bekæmpelse, the cancer society, welcomed Hækkerup’s suggestion.

“It has been a grey area for a while, so it is a positive sign that the minister is looking to regulate it in some way,” Kjær told DR Nyheder.

 

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