Vaping may be causing irreversible harm to children’s health, doctors say

Doctors have raised the alarm about high levels of vaping among children worldwide, saying they are convinced e-cigarettes are causing irreversible harm to their health.

Cardiologists, researchers and health experts said they were “extremely concerned” about the harmful effects of e-cigarettes on millions of teenagers and young people, including exposure to toxins and carcinogens – some of which are still unknown.

Nicotine levels in e-cigarettes can be very high, raising the risk of addiction and injury to the developing brains of adolescents. Children are also risking long-term cardiovascular effects as a result of vaping at school and college, experts say.

Speaking at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) annual congress in Madrid, the world’s largest heart conference, Prof Maja-Lisa Løchen, a senior cardiologist at the University hospital of North Norway, said she was concerned that millions of children could face ill health in future.

She said: “I worry that vaping may be causing irreversible harm to children’s brains and hearts. Of course we have to wait for long-term data, but I am concerned. It increases your blood pressure, your heart rate, and we know that the arteries become more stiff.”

Also speaking in Madrid, Prof Susanna Price, a consultant cardiologist at Royal Brompton hospital in London and the chair of the ESC advocacy committee, said: “We are seeing an increase in children vaping but what we don’t yet know is what that translates to in long-term cardiovascular risk because they haven’t been around long enough.

“I think there is a push to suggest that vaping is safe but we don’t know that. It’s my concern that we’re going to replace one highly addictive substance with another one that may have a similar profile with respect to cardiovascular risk.”

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Source: The Guardian, 1 September 2025