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As dangerous as cigarettes? Jakartans begin to question health risks of vaping
After reported deaths and bans in US cities, e-cigarette consumers in Greater Jakarta raise health concerns of vaping.
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An e-cigarette cafe employee (left) vapes with customers in Jakarta on Jan. 9, 2018. (AFP/BAY ISMOYO )
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eported deaths and lung-related illnesses caused by vaping in the United States have made users in Greater Jakarta begin to question their own health.
Anthony Lambotte, manager of a cafe in BSD City, Serpong, Banten, said he had recently kicked his e-cigarette habit after one year for fear of addiction and deteriorating fitness.
“I used to vape constantly because it was easy and did not smell. But because of the ceaseless consumption, my throat hurt a lot,” the 27-year-old told The Jakarta Post.
Gunawan Tan, 20, a student at a private university in West Jakarta, said he and some of his young college friends had started to worry about their health after finding out that vaping had reportedly caused death.
“We thought vaping was way better than smoking because they said it put you at less risk of getting diseases. Maybe now the safest option is to avoid both altogether,” he said.
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Sunday that he would ban all flavored e-cigarettes besides tobacco and menthol. It will be the second state in the country after Michigan to introduce such a ban.
Health officials in the US have linked at least eight deaths and hundreds of hospitalizations to vaping. President Donald Trump’s administration has also announced plans to wipe out, at the federal level, flavored-cigarettes from store shelves over concerns of respiratory problems.
