The Hastings Prince Edward Public Board of Health is advocating that those who don’t vape, never start.
Dr. Piotr Oglaza told the board on Wednesday he would like to see the Public Health Unit advocating for public policy that discourages vaping as more and more cases of illness related to vaping appear.
He said during his report to the board that the idea of vaping being harmless is now being challenged as more and more cases of vaping-related illnesses dominate headlines.
Dr. Oglaza says it is still too early to know the long-term effects of vaping but he does know people spend time in the Intensive Care Unit when being treated for their illness.
He described it as “pneumonia like” with liquid accumulating in the lungs.
The board voted to send a letter to the Ministry of Health advocating for e-cigarettes to be treated the same as cigarettes in terms of promotion.
Board member and Belleville city council representative Sean Kelly felt this board could be a leader and send the message to the Ministry of Health now to get legislation changed.
He says the support from the board to see what municipalities can do at a local level also speaks to the importance of this issue.
Oglaza says he hasn’t heard about any vaping related illnesses locally yet but that may change in the future as the Ministry of Health is now requiring the reporting of these incidents.
