Mexico issues maximum health alert for vapers and electronic cigarettes

The Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris) of the Government Mexican issued this Thursday “maximum health alert” against vapers and electronic cigarettes due to the health risks they represent.

Cofepris declared the alert for “carcinogens and toxic substances that represent a serious risk to the health of consumers”, so he warned that “Health surveillance and device assurance are strengthened in federal and state orders.”

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In a joint statement, the Cofepris and the Ministry of the Interior invited the population to make health complaints through the internet against the sale of the devices.

The dependencies criticized that the electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products are promoted as an alternative to smoking cessation.

“However, its effectiveness has not been proven. On the other hand, its derivatives of carcinogenic compounds, toxic substances and emissions in the form of aerosols represent a serious risk for those who consume them”, they argued in the bulletin.

The Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has publicly criticized vapers, for which his government has promoted its prohibition.

But the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) declared in October 2021 the absolute ban on electronic cigarettes unconstitutional on the grounds that “it violates the freedom of commerce”.

The Cofepris had already issued, last November, an alert in which it warned that these products are “highly addictive and cause serious damage to health.

Now he raised it to its highest level by arguing that they have found vitamin E acetate in the devices, which represents “a high risk to health as it is a toxic substance that can cause acute respiratory illnesses and even death.”

The actions implied by this alert are to strengthen health surveillance actions and increase the number of verification visits and confiscation of devices, with special attention to points of sale that imply a greater risk for minors.

It also reinforces the training of local health authorities on the control of these types of products and the establishments that sell them.

And finally, implement the “National Health Complaint Day” to promote surveillance and citizen reporting on vending machines and points of sale.

“No vaper or tobacco heater has health authorization, nor recognition by the Ministry of Health as reduced or alternative risk products “alerted Cofepris.

Source: Elcomercio

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