Chemical Addiction –
Sept. 19, 2020 – As such, public health experts argue ‘aerosol’ is a more accurate description, as e-cigarette clouds have been shown to contain harmful chemicals that may hang in the air and settle on nearby surfaces.
The change in name might sound pedantic, but new research suggests it has a real impact on public policy and how individuals assess their risk of exposure from tobacco products.
Comparing three terms for e-cig emissions among 791 college students, researchers found the word “vapour” was linked to a lower sense of risk from secondhand exposure.
On the other hand, students who were asked questions using the words “chemicals” or “aerosols” were twice as likely to describe emissions as “harmful” or “very harmful”.
These individuals were also more likely to support a 100 percent tobacco-free campus policy.
“Smoke-free and tobacco-free campus environments are always a common-sense public health measure, and are especially so at this time, given the strong link between tobacco use and COVID-19 transmission among young people,” says public health scientist Matthew Rossheim from George Mason University.
“Colleges and universities are encouraged to urgently adopt tobacco-free campus policies to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.”
