On March 10, 2020, Lawson Health Research Institute and Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry hosted a community event to discuss the latest on vaping research with a panel of experts.
The event, moderated by Carly Weeks, Health Reporter for The Globe and Mail, was held at Museum London.
Panelist Dr. Karen Bosma, Associate Scientist at Lawson, spoke about Canada’s first published case report of vaping-related lung injury. She emphasized the need for more research on the effects of flavoring agents.
As highlighted in the case report, there has been a recent dramatic rise in vaping-related lung injuries among youth. One in four high school students have tried vaping in the past 30 days.
“We need to push back on the idea that vaping is all about harm reduction. We’re seeing mounting evidence in the scientific literature about the inherent risks,” stated Dr. Bosma, who is also a Critical Care Specialist at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and an Associate Professor at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry. “The Generation Vape event, with a specific focus on the issues of youth vaping, was an opportunity to provide information to our community."
Dr. Grace Parraga, Professor at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, presented 3D images demonstrating the damage to the lung that is caused by vaping. “This is not like anything we’ve seen before in the lab,” she said. “These are new diseases. We don’t know why some people get ill and others do not.”
Also invited to present were members of the Human Environments Analysis Laboratory’s Youth Advisory Council (HEAL-YAC). Aliana Manji, Suraj Paul, and Morgan Seabrook shared their personal experiences and called for stricter marketing and purchasing rules of vaping products. Seabrook, a high school student, shared how friends under the age of 19 were able to buy vaping products without showing ID.
Dr. Constance Mackenzie, Respirologist and Toxicologist at St. Joseph’s Health Care London and Ontario/Manitoba/Nunavut Poison Centre, and Dr. April Price, Associate Scientist at Lawson and Paediatric Respirologist at LHSC, also shared their perspectives. Dr. Price believes the solution to getting through to youth about the dangers of vaping will lie with youth advocates like the HEAL-YAC members.
