Summary
Introduction:
This text is a policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) outlining the principles that should guide and define the child health care system and improve the health of all children, with a focus on electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), also known as electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes. The statement provides definitions, background information, epidemiology, and the potential harms of ENDS use among youth. It also discusses the marketing and sales of ENDS, the components of ENDS solutions, and the health effects of nicotine on the developing brain. The text also covers unintentional ENDS exposure and toxicity, data on ENDS use for smoking cessation, and federal and state ENDS regulation.
Key Points:
* The AAP recommends 21 years as the minimum age of purchase for all tobacco products, including ENDS.
* Federal regulations on the content, labeling, and packaging of ENDS and ENDS solution sales are pending.
* Some states have enacted legislation mandating child-resistant packaging for ENDS solutions.
* The majority of states have enacted laws prohibiting ENDS sales to minors, and a few states have enacted comprehensive laws that prohibit ENDS use in private worksites, restaurants, and bars.
* There is currently no federal regulation of Internet ENDS sales, and no federal laws prevent ENDS and ENDS solutions from being purchased by anyone over the Internet.
* Pediatricians should screen for ENDS use and provide prevention counseling in clinical practice, counsel parents and caregivers about strategies to reduce exposure to ENDS aerosol, and recommend to ENDS users that children should avoid contact with ENDS and ENDS solutions as well as secondhand and thirdhand aerosol exposure.
* The AAP recommends banning the sale of ENDS to youth younger than 21 years, banning Internet sales of ENDS and ENDS solutions, banning all flavors in ENDS, and restricting depictions of ENDS and ENDS use in movies, television shows, and video games.
Main Message:
The AAP emphasizes the need for effective local, state, and federal regulation to protect children and youth from ENDS use and exposure to ENDS secondhand and thirdhand aerosol and concentrated nicotine solution. The AAP also encourages pediatricians to screen for ENDS use and provide prevention counseling in clinical practice. The AAP recommends banning the sale of ENDS to youth younger than 21 years, banning Internet sales of ENDS and ENDS solutions, banning all flavors in ENDS, and restricting depictions of ENDS and ENDS use in movies, television shows, and video games. The AAP is taking a strong stance against ENDS use and exposure among children and youth, urging for stricter regulations and increased awareness of the potential harms of ENDS.
Citation
Walley, Susan C., and Brian Jenssen. “Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems.” Pediatrics 136, no. 5 (November 1, 2015): 1018–26. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2015-3222.
