Nthatuoa Qhomane
Despite being marketed as a safer alternative to traditional smoking, mounting evidence suggests that vaping brings its own set of significant health risks, especially for youth.
Known as e-cigarettes or vapes, these devices heat a flavoured liquid, often containing nicotine, and are inhaled like cigarettes. However, unlike conventional cigarettes, they come in a range of shapes, including USB-like sticks and pen shapes, allowing for discreet use in places where smoking is banned.
Sejojo Phaaroe, a Principal Medical Scientist and neuroscientist with the Ministry of Health, warned that e-cigarettes may be even more hazardous than traditional cigarettes.
“These e-cigarettes contain over a thousand chemicals, including formaldehyde—a substance used to preserve dead bodies. When someone vapes, they are inhaling this preservative, which prevents decay. That is just one example of what users are putting into their bodies,” Phaaroe explained.
Phaaroe noted that Lesotho currently lacks any regulation governing e-cigarette use, making it challenging for the ministry to dissuade people from vaping.
“The absence of control laws limits our ability to curb use, but we are actively running awareness campaigns in high schools and institutions of higher learning to educate youth about the dangers of e-cigarettes,” he said.
He also highlighted the particular risks of nicotine exposure among young people. “Nicotine consumption in children and adolescents negatively impacts brain development, which can lead to learning and anxiety disorders,” he added.
Phaaroe stressed the health risks that accompany vaping, noting: “70 percent of e-cigarette users suffer from lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, or hypertension. Additionally, without a rehabilitation center in Lesotho, nicotine addicts face even greater challenges when it comes to quitting.”
A significant worry is the growing popularity of vaping among young people.
Social media, influencers, and marketing campaigns have glamorised vaping, often using sleek designs, colourful packaging, and child-friendly flavours to target youth.
Second-hand exposure from vaping is another major issue, particularly in environments such as homes, malls, and restaurants where traditional smoking is banned but vaping is not.
Despite the clear health risks, e-cigarettes have flooded the market under relaxed regulations, with limited public knowledge of the long-term consequences.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), “evidence reveals that these products are harmful to health and are not safe”. However, WHO said, it was too early to provide a clear answer on the long-term impact of using them or being exposed to them.
“Whilst long-term health effects are not fully known, we do know that they generate toxic substances, some of which are known to cause cancer and some that increase the risk of heart and lung disorders,” WHO said.
“Electronic delivery systems have also been linked to a number of physical injuries, including burns from explosions or malfunctions, when the products are not of the expected standard or are tampered with by users,” it added.
