By Bahk Eun-ji
The government's recent warning on the use of liquid e-cigarettes is confusing smokers, as they are left without further information on how harmful the products are and whether combustible cigarettes are any safer.
Amid the confusion, more and more retailers are suspending sales of e-liquids, driving e-cigarette smokers to consider returning to combustible ones.
Last week, the Ministry of Health and Welfare issued a "strong" recommendation that smokers stop using vaping products until their effects on the human body are fully confirmed, an upgraded warning from last month's "advisory" telling people to limit their use of the products. The recommendation followed serious unidentified lung diseases and deaths in the U.S. among people using them, and a suspected case of vaping-related respiratory illness of a man here.
Following the recommendation, major convenience store chains decided to remove flavored liquid e-cigarettes from their shelves across the country until the health authorities announce the study results on chemical substances and the toxicity of those products. While GS25 announced the decision first, emart24, 7-Eleven and CU followed suit.
Consumers of the liquid e-cigarettes, however, said the government's announcement has only caused more confusion.
"I honestly don't understand the government's recommendation to stop using e-cigarettes while it has not released any tangible information or scientific proof that e-cigarettes are more harmful than conventional ones," said Lee Chul-hyung, a 41-year-old patent lawyer who has been using the product for about eight months.
"Do they mean that e-cigarette users should turn back to combustible ones? Or do they mean we have to totally quit smoking? Are there any better options available to adult smokers who don't want to quit?" Lee asked.
The health authorities said detailed guidelines would be announced when they finish the study on the substances in e-cigarettes.
"Although the government recommends people stop using liquid e-cigarettes, it doesn't mean it is safe to smoke conventional cigarettes," said an official of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
"The best option is quitting smoking, as we cannot conclude which one is less hazardous yet," the official said.
Some smokers here also point out that most serious lung disease cases in the U.S. were related to e-cigarettes containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is illegal in Korea.
The Korea E-cig Industry Association (KECIA) released a statement Friday denouncing the government's recommendation as "groundless" and "excessive."
"The problematic substance of liquid e-cigarettes in the U.S. was THC, which is not included in the products sold in Korea," the KECIA said.
It said the Korean patient, who was cited by the ministry during the briefing, already left the hospital without any specific aftereffects. According to guidance released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Public Health Agency of Canada, people are recommended not to return to smoking combustible cigarettes if they were using vaping products as a means of quitting combustible cigarette smoking, the KECIA said.
"The ministry said it would inform people of the harmful effects of e-liquids, but we can't see any scientific grounds," the group said. "We request the ministry show proof that liquid e-cigarettes are more harmful than combustible ones."
The government's recent warning on the use of liquid e-cigarettes is confusing smokers, as they are left without further information on how harmful the products are and whether combustible cigarettes are any safer.
 |
| A sign at a GS25 in Seoul shows the convenience store would suspend sales of liquid e-cigarettes following the government's recommendation, Thursday. /Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han |
Last week, the Ministry of Health and Welfare issued a "strong" recommendation that smokers stop using vaping products until their effects on the human body are fully confirmed, an upgraded warning from last month's "advisory" telling people to limit their use of the products. The recommendation followed serious unidentified lung diseases and deaths in the U.S. among people using them, and a suspected case of vaping-related respiratory illness of a man here.
Following the recommendation, major convenience store chains decided to remove flavored liquid e-cigarettes from their shelves across the country until the health authorities announce the study results on chemical substances and the toxicity of those products. While GS25 announced the decision first, emart24, 7-Eleven and CU followed suit.
Consumers of the liquid e-cigarettes, however, said the government's announcement has only caused more confusion.
"I honestly don't understand the government's recommendation to stop using e-cigarettes while it has not released any tangible information or scientific proof that e-cigarettes are more harmful than conventional ones," said Lee Chul-hyung, a 41-year-old patent lawyer who has been using the product for about eight months.
"Do they mean that e-cigarette users should turn back to combustible ones? Or do they mean we have to totally quit smoking? Are there any better options available to adult smokers who don't want to quit?" Lee asked.
The health authorities said detailed guidelines would be announced when they finish the study on the substances in e-cigarettes.
"Although the government recommends people stop using liquid e-cigarettes, it doesn't mean it is safe to smoke conventional cigarettes," said an official of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
"The best option is quitting smoking, as we cannot conclude which one is less hazardous yet," the official said.
Some smokers here also point out that most serious lung disease cases in the U.S. were related to e-cigarettes containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is illegal in Korea.
The Korea E-cig Industry Association (KECIA) released a statement Friday denouncing the government's recommendation as "groundless" and "excessive."
"The problematic substance of liquid e-cigarettes in the U.S. was THC, which is not included in the products sold in Korea," the KECIA said.
It said the Korean patient, who was cited by the ministry during the briefing, already left the hospital without any specific aftereffects. According to guidance released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Public Health Agency of Canada, people are recommended not to return to smoking combustible cigarettes if they were using vaping products as a means of quitting combustible cigarette smoking, the KECIA said.
"The ministry said it would inform people of the harmful effects of e-liquids, but we can't see any scientific grounds," the group said. "We request the ministry show proof that liquid e-cigarettes are more harmful than combustible ones."
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