The National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) published in the Official Gazette of the Union on the last day 5 the schedule for the public consultation (CP) on the release or not of electronic cigarettes in Brazil. According to the agency, CP 1.222/2023 will be open from December 12, next Tuesday, until February 9, respecting the 60-day deadline.
Pulmonologist and Sleep Medicine specialist, Dr. Jessica Polese has been alerting patients, work partners, and friends about electronic cigarettes. “Vapes, e-cigarettes, e-cigs as they are called represent a combination of risks with the dozens of chemical substances, including proven carcinogens for the lungs, bladder, esophagus, and stomach,” says the specialist.
“They contain nicotine that penetrates the body's circulation and is one of the causes of increased blood pressure, metabolic problems - mainly cardiovascular - identical to cigarettes, and also the oily contents and flavorings, substances that irritate the lungs and are terrible for those who are allergic, and worse for those who are smoking and for those around them,” warns the doctor.
The doctor warns that the electronic cigarette becomes an entry point for regular cigarettes due to its nicotine content, and if a person is chemically dependent, they will seek this nicotine in any situation they can. “Brazil needs to organize itself to prevent this situation from becoming legalized, because we have only seen problems and they will only increase; once legalized, the situation may worsen,” she emphasizes. “I hope that at a global level things become clearer, and that some limits start to be placed on the dissemination of electronic cigarettes, and Brazil must organize itself to prevent legalization here,” she states.
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