Doctors warn: E-cigarettes are not safe alternatives and contain dangerous ingredients such as etomidate

[Health Channel/Comprehensive Report] He Jianhui, a thoracic physician at Annan Hospital, said on the Facebook fan page "Thorax Medicine-Dr. He Jianhui" that the ingredient in the "zombie cartridge" is called etomidate. In the intensive care unit, it is a drug used by doctors to quickly put the patient into anesthesia before intubating the patient. In other words, this is a drug that will only be used when there is a monitor, a respirator, and a physician and nurse beside you. Now, it is put into e-cigarettes and circulated on campus and on the streets.

He Jianhui said that the manufacturing, import, sale, supply, display, advertising and "use" of e-cigarettes are now illegal; there are currently no penalties for "possession". In the future, the draft amendment to the "Smoking Harm Prevention and Control Law" will also include "possession" as a penalty. If caught in possession, you may be fined 30,000 to 100,000 yuan and confiscated; the draft has been sent to the Legislative Yuan and is still waiting for its third reading.

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He Jianhui reminded that there will be a one-month buffer period after the new law comes into effect. During this period, if you are caught, you will only be confiscated and not fined. Once the buffer period expires, penalties will begin.

He Jianhui said that since September 8, the National Health Service of the Ministry of Health and Welfare has set up recycling bins in health bureaus and health clinics across Taiwan, and some are located at the counters of police stations. He Jianhui reminded that these recycling bins do not need to be named or leave any personal information; before the new law comes into effect, you will not be fined if you throw them away; brand new, half-used, or used ones can be thrown away; the recycling bins are designed to be "only in but not out" and placed in a place with monitors or personnel. They will be destroyed in a unified manner and will not be returned to the market. Recycling will continue until the end of the buffer period after the new law comes into effect.

He Jianhui emphasized that quitting smoking cannot wait. From the perspective of a pulmonologist, He Jianhui mentioned three key points.

E-cigarettes are not "safer cigarettes": they look like pen drives and taste like fruit candies, but they still contain nicotine. The addictiveness of nicotine will not be reduced just because the packaging is cute, and it will have a greater impact on the developing brains of teenagers.

Lungs can be injured, and they can be serious: In 2019, there was a wave of e-cigarette-related acute lung injuries in the United States, many of which were among young people. Some were admitted directly to the intensive care unit for intubation, or even died. E-cigarettes also have effects on the heart, increasing the risk of heart failure and coronary insufficiency.

You never know what’s in that pod: illegal products don’t have any quality control. What you think is fruit-flavored nicotine may actually be laced with etomidate, or something else you've never heard of. In the hospital, every pill is dosed and monitored. In the cigarette cartridge, there is nothing.

He Jianhui reminds parents and teachers that if e-cigarettes are found on children, don’t rush to curse them. The Ministry of Education currently encourages students to send e-cigarettes to recycling bins themselves. Rather than confiscating it and locking it in a drawer, taking it away with your child and throwing it away may be a better lesson. If your family members are already addicted and want to quit smoking, you can call the National Health Service’s smoking cessation hotline at 0800-636363, or go to the smoking cessation clinics in various hospitals, and you will receive health insurance subsidies.

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