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Doctors, activists call for e-cigarette ban
Several medical associations have urged the government to ban e-cigarettes amid the product's rising popularity among teenagers.
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With more and more minimarts and online stores starting to sell e-cigarettes, these so-called alternatives to tobacco have become more popular among young Indonesians, especially teenagers, according to the 2018 Basic Health Survey (Riskesdas). (Shutterstock/File)
P
ulmonologist Agus Dwi Susanto recalls treating a patient who was complaining of chest pains and shortness of breath after smoking e-cigarettes for six months.
The patient was diagnosed with pneumothorax, a collapse of the lung that occurs when air leaks into the space between the lung and chest.
The diagnosis was one of many that directed Agus’ attention to the surging popularity of e-cigarettes among Indonesians, with many assuming that it is less harmful than conventional cigarettes.
“The nicotine levels in an e-cigarette smoker’s urine is similar to those of someone who smokes five [conventional] cigarettes a day, around 223 milligrams,” said Agus, who also heads to Indonesian Pulmonologists Association (PDPI).
The PDPI, the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI), the Indonesian Cardiologist Association (PERKI) and several other medical associations voiced their concerns over the effects of e-cigarettes on people’s health in a press conference held at the Health Ministry in Jakarta on Jan. 15.
The associations, along with tobacco control activists, called on the government to ban e-cigarettes in Indonesia.
With more and more minimarts and online stores starting to sell e-cigarettes, these so-called alternatives to tobacco have become more popular among young Indonesians, especially teenagers, according to the 2018 Basic Health Survey (Riskesdas).
