The US Surgeon General has issued a Bottom Line report on E-cigs and other tobacco forms used by America’s youth and young adults.
“In response, the AAFP joined the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the AMA in expressing support for the report.
“‘As leading medical organizations representing, collectively, 630,000 physicians across the country, we join together today to applaud Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, M.D., M.B.A., for issuing the first comprehensive federal government review of the public health impact of e-cigarettes on youth and young adults in the United States,’ said a joint statement from the five medical organizations.
“The report found that although nicotine is a highly addictive drug at any age, youth and young adults are uniquely vulnerable to the long-term consequences of exposing the brain to nicotine, and it concluded that youth use of nicotine in any form is unsafe. The report also found that secondhand aerosol exhaled by e-cigarette users can expose others to potentially harmful chemicals.
“‘All Americans need to know that e-cigarettes are dangerous to youth and young adults,’ said Murthy in a Dec. 8 news release.(www.hhs.gov) ‘Any tobacco use, including e-cigarettes, is a health threat, particularly to young people.'” Source: Family Medicine Smart Brief.
